Twins: Shizuru and Viola
by Ryoko-hime
Summary: Ever wanted to see what life would be like with double the Fujino trouble? Let's find out. Chapter 10 up!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Mai Hime. They are the property of Sunrise.

_Alternate Universe_

_

* * *

_

AN – Well this idea my muse snuck into my head and simply would _not_ let it go until I had written it. Troublesome little muse :-p

I hope that you all enjoy reading this ^_^

* * *

They were born a mere two minutes apart. Viola Fujino came out crying first, followed closely by her twin sister Shizuru Fujino, who didn't make a peep as she entered the world. And as their mother held her newborn babies in her arms, and placed gentle loving kisses on their brows, their father commented that his two little ladies were going to rock the worlds of everyone around them.

How true his prediction would turn out to be.

Shizuru was the more quiet ladylike of the two twins, not that her big sister was any less ladylike. Viola just had a 'habit' of getting herself...and by default her little sister...in all manner of trouble. Once when they were only 5 years old, Viola somehow convinced Shizuru that sneaking out of the house at the dead of night to go visit the 'magical lake' near their house, would yield water fairies who would grant any wish the young girls had.

Even at such a young age, Shizuru was unsure of her sister's plan, but like most faithful little sisters Shizuru followed along with Viola's plan. All they got for their troubles was to be covered in mud when they slipped down the small hill leading to the lake, and slid all the way down to the water's edge.

Shizuru ended up getting a cut on her knee, and had to be carried piggyback back to their home, Shizuru doing her best not to cry from the pain of her wound.

They got quite the talking to by their mother, and were punished by their father who forbade them from doing anything 'fun', and restricted them to going straight to their room when they got home from school. This punishment lasted two weeks, that felt like an eternity to the twins. But it did little to curb Viola's more adventurous nature, and did certainly nothing to stop Shizuru from following along with whatever her sister would usually think up next.

When the twins were 7 years old they all moved to a more middle-class area, stepping down from their lofty upper-class lifestyle, as the twin's father lost his corporate job, and had to take a job with a different company that paid far less than what he used to make.

The neighbourhood that they moved into had quite a few families in it, as the twin's mother wanted her girls to be around children closer to their age. Maybe then Viola wouldn't have as much time to think up schemes if she was out playing with friends, and Shizuru wouldn't be so willing to follow her sister into trouble, if she also had friends of her own to play with.

While this was a sound enough plan, there was one major flaw to it that the twin's mother unfortunately didn't see...meeting and making new friends certainly wasn't going to _stop_ Viola's more mischievous nature...in fact the friends that she would make would only help further _enhance_ her troublemaker side.

One day while they were in their room together, Shizuru kicking her small feet against the edge of her bed, while hugging a small stuffed hydra toy that he father had won for her at a local fair, she asked her big sister why she always did things that got them both into such trouble.

"Honestly Vi, was it _really_ necessary to put a frog down Fujipi's back? If I hadn't tripped him when he ran past me with that stick to hit you with, who knows how badly he could have hurt you. As it was he never forgave us for that broken nose he got when he landed flat on his face after I tripped him. And his parents were definitely _not_ happy with either of us, when they told Mom and Dad about it. So why do you do stuff like that, and get me into trouble with you when you do it? Is it so bad to just be ladylike like Mom always wants us to be?"

Viola had been laying on their carpeted floor, colouring in her colouring book, but when her baby sister started asking her these questions she rolled over onto her back, and looked at her sister with identical crimson-red eyes.

"It's simple, Ru. I...like...trouble," Viola answered with a completely unrepentant grin. Shizuru let out a sigh of exasperation before she questioned her sister further.

"But _why_ do you like trouble so much? We're twins. We're _supposed_ to be basically the same. Yet you get into things that I would never even _dream_ of doing or trying. Why is that?" Shizuru asked, as she tilted her head curiously at her sister.

"Because my dear twin-sis, life would would horribly boring if we did the same things all the time. Life is fun! I like going out there and doing crazy stuff. It makes me feel...alive and happy," Viola answered as her ruby-red eyes lit up with excitement.

Shizuru hugged her stuffed hydra even tighter, as a pout formed on her lips.

"So, you think that I'm...boring?" Shizuru asked, as despite her best efforts to stop it, her eyes became watery with hurt. She adored and idolized her big sister, and to now find out that her big sis might consider her _boring_ was devastating to the 8 year old.

"No no, Zuru! I never meant that!" Viola exclaimed in alarm when she saw the tears in her little sister's eyes. Quickly scrambling to her feet, Viola made her way over to her sister's bed, which was the twin to her own on the other side of their room. Viola then gently wrapped her arms around her sister's shoulders, and pulled her small body against her own.

Shizuru was doing her best to keep her tears from spilling down her face, as small hiccups began escaping past her lips.

"Silly little Ru. You _know_ how much big sis loves and adores you, and I would never _ever_ think that you were 'boring.' In fact without you, my life would be _super_ boring. You help to make every day interesting and exciting. So never doubt again that big sis loves you, and enjoys your company the most of any one else in the whole entire universe!" Viola exclaimed, as she planted a soft kiss against her baby sister's forehead.

Shizuru leaned back from her sister's hug a bit, and gave Viola a bright and winning smile.

"Okay! Yeah, you're life _would_ be pretty boring without me. You're pretty lucky to have me around," Shizuru replied with a cheeky grin towards her sister, as she wiped away her tears.

"You little rascal!" Viola exclaimed as she started to tickle her sister. Shizuru shrieked as she tried to avoid her sister's questing fingers, and the pair spent the next 15 minutes laughing and tickling each other.

One day when the girls were 9 years old, they were sitting on the front steps of their porch, when they noticed a large moving truck pulling into their neighbourhood. Both girls watched the truck pull up with unconcealed curiosity. Right behind the truck was a family sedan that pulled up on the side of the road, and park by the lawn in front of the vacant house right next to the twin's home.

From the front passenger seat of the car stepped a stunningly beautiful woman with short cropped midnight-blue hair, and from the driver's side stepped a man with fiery-red hair.

Then out of the backdoors tumbled two young girls roughly the twin's age, maybe a little younger, both of them arguing back and forth with each other over something. One of the young girls had a long flowing mane of midnight-blue hair, the same colour as the older woman. The other girl had bright red hair that matched the colour of the male, and by now Shizuru and Viola could barely sit still with the excitement that they were now feeling.

They had new neighbours! And it looked like they had young daughters around the twin's age. To the twins this meant one thing and one thing only. New friends to play with!

Shizuru and Viola looked at each other with huge grins, and then got up from their porch steps to then make a run towards their new neighbours. They skirted around the back of the truck, avoiding the men who had begun taking furniture down the truck's ramp, and then quickly pulled up to a stop before the man and the woman. Then bending at the waist the twins gave identical bows, before they quickly rose back up, and giving the new family stunning grins exclaimed together, "welcome to the neighbourhood!"

The woman let out a light laugh that sounded to the twins like wind chimes dancing lightly on the breeze, and the man just gave the twins a small grin as he stuck his hands into his pockets.

"My aren't the two of you precious. I take it that you are our next door neighbours, as I saw you both come from that house next to us," the woman said, as she looked down at the twins with sparkling emerald-green eyes.

Shizuru and Viola nodded eagerly at the woman, who then made a 'come here' motion to the two young girls still standing by the car.

The girl with hair the same colour as the woman gave a scowl but still made her way towards them. The other girl, the redhead, gave a dramatic sigh but she too also walked forward, following behind the cobalt-blue haired girl.

"These are my children. This is Natsuki, and this is her step-sister Nao. Now be polite girls and say hello to..." here the woman stopped and looked over at the twins curiously.

"Oh! We're sorry. We forgot to introduce ourselves. My name is Viola, and this is my 'little' sister, Shizuru. I'm oldest by two whole minutes," Viola said proudly, as she gave a toothy grin.

"Yeah, but I'm the more mature one," Shizuru mumbled out of the side of her mouth, and earned a light pinch on her arm for her comment.

"Ouch! Vi! See, I told you I was the more mature one," Shizuru huffed, as she lightly rubbed the area on her arm that her sister had just pinched. Viola just gave her sister a completely innocent smile, and the older woman laughed again.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Shizuru and Viola. My name is Saeko and this is Nao's father and Natsuki's step-father, Hiroshi," Saeko said, as she wrapped her arm around the man's shoulders. Hiroshi gave the girls a polite nod though he didn't say anything to them. He then leaned over and whispered something softly into Saeko's ears that sounded to the twins like, "going to help the movers." Then he gave another polite nod to the twins, and walked off towards the two-floor house that was his family's new home.

Shizuru happened to glance at Natsuki as Hiroshi walked away, and she was a bit taken aback by the look of complete loathing that was present in Natsuki's verdant-green eyes. Shizuru then jumped a bit when those magnetic eyes swiftly swung her way, and she stepped back a bit at the intensity of the stare. Natsuki gave the chestnut-haired girl a slight frown, before she turned her head to the side to stare off into space.

"Well, while this has been a fascinating meeting 'Mother', I'm going to go catch up with Dad. Catch you later double-mint twins. Oh, and loser-face I get first dibs on the best room," the redhead cackled as she ran quickly after her father.

Natsuki's teeth gritted in anger and she tore after the other girl, yelling at the top of her lungs that she would 'skin her alive' if she dared to take the best room. Nao just laughed at the indigo-haired girl, as the both ran into their new home.

That just left Shizuru, Viola, and Saeko standing on the cobbled sidewalk before the house, and Saeko released an exasperated sigh.

"Well, I'll make sure to come by later to meet your parents girls. Please tell them that it was a pleasure to be greeted and welcomed by their daughters, and that they raised two very sweet little girls."

Shizuru blushed at the compliment, while her sister just gave Saeko a wide grin.

"Thank you! We will," Viola replied as she reached out, took her sister's hand, and began leading her back towards their home.

Saeko waved a bit at the retreating girls, before she turned and began making her way to her own home.

Then as Shizuru and Viola made their way up the front steps of their home, and began to make their way inside, Viola whispered excitedly into her sister's ear.

"Zuru...things are _finally_ going to start getting interesting around here!"

* * *

AN – So, what did you guys think? Should I continue this quirky little story idea of mine? ^_^

Please leave a review, and let me know what you all thought =)


	2. Chapter 2

AN – Thank you guys so much for your reviews! They really made my day =D

And in response to a couple reviews, Shizuru and Viola have been trained since they could properly walk and talk to be the 'perfect' young lady...with varying success in Viola's case :p

As such their speech and mannerisms will be more 'mature' than a regular child their same age would be.

And also...no, I'm sorry this will _not_ be a 'twincest' fic XD

Our girls are just two sisters who love and care for each other dearly in a completely sisterly way =3

* * *

Natsuki always hated him...Nao's father...Hiroshi. Ever since her mother married the man two years ago when Natsuki was only 6 years old, and Nao was 5.

Hiroshi acted like a calm quiet man, but he had always made the young Natsuki feel uncomfortable and afraid, as he would do things like just silently watch her. He would sit in his recliner chair, and just stare at the dark-blue haired girl as she watched tv, when her mother was off at work. Or when she was outside playing with the neighbourhood kids, he would watch her from behind the curtains, thinking that Natsuki didn't notice him.

All of this attention given to a child not his made Nao very angry and very jealous. The young redhead had already lost her mother when she died of an incurable illness. She would not now lose her father to this other girl, who was seemingly stealing her father's affections away from her. And so Nao grew to completely dislike Natsuki and also Natsuki's mother, as she was the woman who was trying to take her 'true' mother's place away.

Nao was not going to have any of that. So she and Natsuki argued, bickered, and fought all day long and night if they could get away with it. And Nao was extremely cold towards Saeko, despite how hard the older woman tried to get Nao to like her.

To Natsuki her family was _painfully_ dysfunctional.

And now that they had moved into this new neighbourhood, and had already been 'accosted' by the local twin welcoming wagon, Natsuki wondered where things would go for her from here. Hiroshi was still creeping her out, as his actions towards her of late had seemed to be getting bolder.

No longer was he merely just staring at Natsuki, but he was also now slightly 'touching' her. A light brush against the arm here. A tight squeeze against her shoulder there. All normal things most people would say a caring father would do. But it wasn't normal to Natsuki...at least not where Hiroshi was concerned.

Natsuki wanted to mention something to her mother about it, but at the same time she didn't want to cause trouble in her mother's marriage. She knew how much her father had hurt her mother when he had cheated on her, and they ended up getting divorced. And her mother now seemed so happy in her new marriage, even though Natsuki couldn't stand Nao, and her father made her feel scared and worried.

But things between Natsuki and Hiroshi didn't get truly unbearable until two days after they had all moved into their new home. Maybe it was the fact that Natsuki now had her own room, and no longer had to share one with Nao. Maybe it was the fact that his wife was fast asleep in their new room upstairs, while Natsuki's room was located downstairs. Maybe he finally just decided to become bolder in his disturbing behaviour. Natsuki would never know what finally triggered Hiroshi to creep into her room late in the night well after midnight, and sit down on the edge of her bed.

Naturally a light sleeper, Natsuki woke up instantly as she felt her bed dip down, and almost screamed in panic when she saw the shadowy figure of her step-father staring down at her, a strange and terrifying gleam in his eye.

Hiroshi immediately clapped his hand down onto Natsuki's mouth, and held the fingers of his other hand up to his lips in a 'shushing' motion.

Natsuki could only stare wide-eyed at the man before her, as she waited in terrified silence for him to do or say something.

Hiroshi then leaned down, pressed his lips against the young girl's ear, and breathed into it as he said in a low raspy voice, "mention one word of this to your mother, and you will regret the day that you were born. Do I make myself clear?"

Natsuki's eyes widened even more in paralyzing fright, and tears came to her emerald-green eyes, as she nodded mutely in agreement.

"That's a good girl," Hiroshi said with a pleased smile, as he removed his hand from Natsuki's mouth, and patted her lightly on the cheek.

Natsuki could only stare quietly at the man before her, frozen stiff as she wondered what he would do next. But then to Natsuki's dizzying relief, Hiroshi merely rose to his feet and made his way to her bedroom door. And then with a small disturbing smile towards Natsuki, Hiroshi made his way out the door, clicking it softly closed behind him.

Natsuki stayed up crying for the rest of the night, and when her mother asked her why her eyes were so red the next morning and if her baby girl was alright, Natsuki just mumbled something about something getting stuck in her eyes, and her rubbing them too hard.

Hiroshi just hid a smirk as he saw that Natsuki was going to obey him, and not dare say a word about what happened between them last night.

Nao scowled at Natsuki, as she saw her father watching the dark-haired girl again, and she dug into her bowl of cereal with gusto to try to distract herself from her anger and jealousy.

So, that's how Shizuru and Viola found Natsuki later that morning. Eyes still slightly red, sitting on the steps leading down from her front porch, and scowling at the beautiful summer day.

"Hiya, Natsuki! Why don't you turn that frown upside down. It's a great day out, and you shouldn't look so grumpy," Viola exclaimed, as she bounced up towards the green-eyed girl, Shizuru walking at a much more sedate pace behind her sister.

"Would you just go away please. I'm _really_ not in the mood to deal with you two right now," Natsuki grumbled as she turned her head away from the two chestnut-haired girls, trying to hide her still-red eyes from them.

But Shizuru's naturally-red eyes caught the redness of Natsuki's own, and she asked softly, "are you okay, Natsuki? Your eyes are red...like you've been crying," Shizuru said with a worried tilt of her head.

"Listen, I said that I'm not in the mood to deal with you two today, so just go away!" Natsuki all but shouted at the twins, as her voice shook and her eyes filled with barely-repressed tears.

Shizuru took a step back, before bowing her head slightly and whispering a soft apology for having bothered Natsuki, tears coming to her own crimson eyes from being shouted at by the girl that she wanted to be good friends with.

Viola looked from Natsuki's teary-eyed scowling face, to her sister's bowed teary-eyed face, and she let out a loud exasperated sigh.

"Seriously, the two of you are like two peas in a pod. Come on now, let's go," Viola stated, as she first grabbed her sister's small hand and then Natsuki's, and began tugging the two of them along behind her.

"Oi, oi! What do you think you're doing! I told you that I don't want to be around you two right now," Natsuki cried out, as she was pulled out onto the cobbled sidewalk before her home, and then dragged along to a little hidden path in between their homes, that led to the wooded area behind their houses.

"And I don't care," Viola sang out cheerfully, as she led her sister and the protesting Natsuki down the path, and through the woods to the destination that she had in mind.

"Ugh! Is your sister _always_ this hardheaded and stubborn," Natsuki asked Shizuru, who was quietly allowing her sister to lead her along.

Shizuru felt a light blush stain her cheeks as she quietly answered Natsuki, "uh yes...she usually is. You just have to learn to deal with it, as Vi never means any harm and means well...usually," Shizuru said with an indulgent smile towards her sister.

Viola turned her head a bit, and gave Shizuru a small wink and grin, before she burst through a small stand of bushes and back out into the open air, her two captives stumbling out along behind her.

"Oh..." Natsuki breathed out softly, as she looked around at her surroundings. The three girls were by the side of a large sparkling lake, the sun glinting off of the water's surface, and small white flowers were blossoming at the water's edge.

There was a small hill with a tall tree situated on it, and a long rope hung from a thick branch that extended over the water. And beside that rope hung another long thick rope, but this one had a black tube that one could use for sitting and swinging attached to the end of it.

"Hey, sorry to keep you two waiting! But we're here now, and we brought a new friend! Come on Natsuki, I want you to meet two friends of ours. Chie, Aoi, we'll be right there!" Viola cried out to two figures sitting on what looked like a picnic blanket by the edge of the lake. One of the figures with short spiky-brown hair waved back, and Viola once again tugged on Natsuki and Shizuru's hands, and began pulling them along towards the two other girls.

Natsuki could only groan loudly to herself as she looked over at Shizuru who let out a light giggle, and then just kind of shrugged her shoulders apologetically towards her big sister's back, as if to say "sorry, you just have to learn to live with Viola."

Natsuki let out another loud groan, as one clear thought crystallized in her mind.

_How did I get myself into this!_

* * *

Please review and let me know what you all thought of this chapter, thanks! =D


	3. Chapter 3

"I dare you, Natsuki."

"No, I won't do it."

"How about it Viola. Should we do it?"

"Why Chie, yes I think we should. Please be my guest."

"Natsuki, we _triple dog dare_ you to do it!"

"What! You can't do that! You can't completely skip from a dare to a _triple dog_ dare," Natsuki protested loudly as she, Chie, Aoi, Viola, and Shizuru all gathered on the small hill overlooking the lake.

"I absolutely _refuse_. I don't care how many times you two loons dare me to do it, I am _not_ jumping off of this hill into that water. It's probably freezing cold in there!" Natsuki exclaimed as she waved her hands towards the lake's glistening surface.

"Actually it's the middle of summer, Natsuki. So the water is actually quite warm," Shizuru replied, as she swung lightly back and forth in the black tube hanging from the tree.

"Hmph, whatever it doesn't matter. I won't do it," Natsuki huffed, as she crossed her small arms across her chest, and glared icily at her two tormentors. "And Chie, according to troublemaker number one over here, aren't you and Aoi older than her by a year? So that would make you both 10. Shouldn't you be more mature than this, and _not_ be going along with whatever crazy scheme Viola comes up with," Natsuki said, as she scowled at the spiky-haired girl.

Chie just gave Natsuki a wide winning grin, while Aoi just hid an amused smile.

"Nah, I like how Vi thinks. And Shizuru is just as much fun to hang out with. Living in this neighbourhood used to be super boring until they moved in. And now with you here Natsuki, things are going to be even more entertaining!" Chie responded, while flashing Natsuki a victory sign by holding up her two fingers.

Natsuki just groaned loudly, as she dropped her face into her hand. Shizuru let out another light giggle at Natsuki's predicament, as she began swinging higher and higher in the tube.

Then suddenly without warning and a loud _snap_, the rope holding Shizuru and the tube broke, and Shizuru suddenly found herself flying through the air, and headed straight for the water below. She didn't even have time to scream before she hit the water's surface hard, and instantly began sinking.

"SHIZURU!!" Viola screamed in terrified panic, as she made to jump straight into the water after her sister.

"No, Viola! Don't! You know you can't swim! You'll only sink too," Chie cried out as she quickly wrapped her arms around Viola's waist to keep the struggling girl from jumping to her certain doom, in a vain attempt to save her sister.

"I don't care! I don't care! Let me go, Chie! LET ME GO!" Viola screamed, as tears began streaming from her frightened crimson eyes.

And then before Chie could make a reply to the distraught girl, they both saw a figure suddenly race passed them, and dive headfirst into the lake below.

Chie looked back towards the tree and saw that Natsuki had taken off her shoes, and the light jacket that she had been wearing, before she plunged into the deep lake after Shizuru.

"Aoi! Quickly! Go get Natsuki and Shizuru's parents! And have them call an ambulance before they get here!" Chie cried out to her best friend, as she continued to keep an iron-clad grip on Viola's waist, still not trusting the other not to perform a suicidal leap after her sister.

"I'll be right back with help!" Aoi responded, as she quickly dashed off back in the direction of the two girl's houses.

"They haven't come back up to the surface, Chie. Oh god, where's my baby sister?" Viola cried, as she fell to her knees still held within Chie's arms.

"Don't worry, Vi. They'll come up soon. Let's go down and wait by the water's edge, so that we can help them when they both come up," Chie said soothingly, as she began leading a crying Viola down the hill towards the water's edge. Then just as the two of them reached the bottom of the hill, they saw a dark head finally break the water's surface, gasping loudly for air and pulling along Shizuru's limp form.

Viola finally wrenched herself free of Chie's grasp, and splashed into the shallow waters of the lake, and helped Natsuki bring the prone figure of her sister to shore.

Viola immediately fell to her knees beside Shizuru and tenderly cradled her head in her lap, not caring that the pretty dress that she wore was now soaked through, as she began gently rocking her sister back and forth.

"Please Zuru, please. Wake up...open your eyes for big sis...please Shizuru..._please_..." Viola begged, as she kept gently rocking her sister, the tears streaming from her eyes mixing with the lake water on Shizuru's face.

"Viola...she'll be alright...okay...she'll be alright," Natsuki huffed out, as she stood bent over at the waist with her hands resting shakily on her knees.

Viola looked up into Natsuki's resolute green eyes, and opened her mouth to reply when the sound of worried shouts reached their ears. Viola looked back to see her and Natsuki's parents racing towards them, and then the sound of sirens wailing split the air around them.

"You're going to be okay, Zuru," Viola whispered into her sister's damp tawny locks, before she placed a light kiss on her forehead, as she waited for her parents to reach them.

"You're going to be okay."

_

* * *

_

_You're going to be okay..._the soft, caring words filtered lightly into Shizuru's dim consciousness. Nothing else penetrated the dark void that she found herself floating in.

There was a slight memory here though...one that Shizuru clung to desperately as a lifeline.

The image of Natsuki reaching out to her, a determined look on her face, as Shizuru felt herself sinking deeper and deeper into the lake's depths.

Then Natsuki's small fingers grasped Shizuru's own, and the dark-haired girl pulled Shizuru towards her, holding the chestnut-haired girl tightly against her chest, as she then began kicking her feet to push them both back up to the surface.

Shizuru closed her eyes, and allowed herself to feel nothing but the pressure of Natsuki's chest rising and falling rapidly, as they shot quickly towards the surface.

Shizuru felt no pain and no worry then...and only two words ran through her mind...over and over again.

_I'm safe...I'm safe..._

_

* * *

_

AN - Thank you for your all your reviews! I'm really happy that you guys are enjoying my story ^.^

Even though most of you wanted to keel Hiroshi last chappy ;3

Please continue to read, enjoy, and review! It keeps me motivated =D


	4. Chapter 4

AN – Just want to recap the girls ages, just in case anyone isn't too sure right now =3

_

* * *

_

_Shizuru and Viola – 9_

_Natsuki – 8_

_Nao – 7_

_Chie and Aoi – 10_

_

* * *

_

"She's been running a fever for the last two days. Ever since Natsuki rescued her, and we took Shizuru to the hospital. As you both know she stayed at the hospital for most of the last two days, and then the doctor allowed us to take her home. They gave us antibiotics and medicine to reduce her fever, as it's not too very high. She just has to stay in bed for the next few days, and allow the fever to run its course," Shizuru's mother Kumiko said to Natsuki's parents, outside the closed door leading to the twins room. She was a beautiful and elegant woman, with piercing-red eyes and long flowing dark hair.

"Yes, and we also can not say thank you enough for what your Natsuki did for our daughter. She saved her life, and I and my family will be forever indebted to you and your daughter," Hiro the twin's father, said as he bowed deeply towards Natsuki's parents. Hiro had semi-wavy chestnut hair, and bright blue eyes that looked upon Natsuki's parents with complete gratitude, once he had straightened back up from his bow.

"Ah no need to thank us again, Hiro. You and Kumiko have both thanked us and Natsuki quite a bit over the last two days. I am terribly proud of my daughter and her quick actions that led to Shizuru being saved. Those swimming lessons that I insisted she start taking when she was 5 have paid off in a way that even I never foresaw," Saeko replied to the twin's parents, as she stood beside her ever-silent husband, Hiroshi.

"But Hiro and Kumiko, if it's not too impolite to ask...I just wondered if Shizuru and Viola have ever taken any kind of swimming lessons?" Saeko asked with a curious tilt of her head.

Hiro and Kumiko looked at each other in shame for a few seconds, before looking back at Saeko and regretfully shaking their heads.

"No, we...we hadn't really seen a need for the girls to take swimming lessons yet. It was something that had been planned for the future...I guess the future has arrived a little sooner than we expected. Once Shizuru is well again, and she feels up to it, we'll enroll both her and Viola in swimming lessons," Hiro answered, as he looked over at his wife again, who nodded her head in agreement.

"Oh that's a wonderful idea. And actually why don't you enroll them in the swimming program that Natsuki is a part of. She would be the 'older' one in that case, as she is almost in the advance children's swim program. She just has to pass one more test, and she'll be moved from the intermediate class to the advance one. Or the 'big' kid's class as she likes to call it," Saeko said with obvious affection for her child coming through in her voice.

"That sounds like a great idea, Saeko! I'll run it by the girls later. In the meantime, we should probably stop talking so much right before their door. We should let Shizuru get as much rest as she needs," Hiro said as he curled his arm around Kumiko's waist. Kumiko looked up at the father of her children with a tender smile on her face, before she leaned up on her toes and gave her husband a soft kiss on the cheek.

Hiro blushed as Saeko let out a light giggle at his expense, and Hiroshi just allowed a tight smile to cross his lips. The four adults then began to walk off, heading towards the kitchen where Kumiko said that she would make them all a light snack.

* * *

Inside the twin's room itself, Shizuru was laid out flat on her back on her soft cushiony bed, and her comforter pulled all the way up to her neck.

Viola lay on the side of her sister's bed, her back pressed against the wall as she lightly ruffled her fingers through her sister's chestnut bangs.

"How ya feeling right now, Ru?" Viola asked softly in the semi-dark room, as the blinds had been drawn to keep the sunlight from bothering Shizuru's tired eyes.

Shizuru sniffled a bit and then let out a series of short coughs, which she tried to stifle and Viola just leaned forward and gave her sister a light hug in sympathy.

"It's my fault you're like this! If only I could have jumped in too and saved you. I'm useless as a big sister!" Viola cried against her sister's chest, as she continued to hold Shizuru lightly.

"Don't say things like that, Vi! You know that that's not true. I don't know how to swim either, and I should have checked the rope to see if it was rotted or not before I sat in the tube. You're not useless! Isn't that right, Natsuki?" Shizuru asked, as she turned beseeching red eyes towards the silent figure sitting quietly on a stool beside her bed.

Natsuki made a soft gruff sound as she crossed her arms, and then nodded her agreement.

"You're not useless, Viola. No one realized that the rope was so rotted out. And I have been taking swimming lessons for the last 3 years, so I knew that I could go in and get Shizuru out without you also getting hurt," Natsuki replied, as she looked and held Viola's teary eyes for a few heartbeats.

Viola then nodded her head slowly in agreement to both her sister's and Natsuki's argument, but inwardly she continued to feel terrible about her baby sister almost drowning right before her, and her being unable to do a thing to help her.

Viola resolved then that she would learn to swim, and be able to swim like a dolphin! So that she would be able to help her sister if she ever needed to be saved from drowning again. In fact, Viola thought, Shizuru should also learn how to swim, so that there would never be a need for her to be saved from drowning again!

"Zuru, you and I should learn how to swim when you get better, okay?" Viola said with a small grin at her sister, as she brushed away a stray tawny lock from Shizuru's still-hot forehead.

A shiver raced through Shizuru's body that had absolutely nothing to do with her fever, and she pulled her comforter up until it covered the lower half of her face, and only her fever-reddened eyes were visible.

"I don't wanna learn how to swim. I don't want to _ever_ have to go back into deep water again," Shizuru said in a small shaky voice that caused Viola's heart to break a little, as she gathered her little sister into her arms and gently began to rock her.

"There there, Ru. No worries. You'll have big sis there with you, and I'm sure your 'rescuer' Natsuki will also be there by your side. Isn't that right, Na...tsu...ki," Viola said in a sing-song voice, as she speared Natsuki with an intense crimson-eyed look.

Natsuki felt herself begin to sweat a bit at the look, and with a slightly-nervous laugh and a bright red blush, that darkened her cheeks Natsuki replied, "of course I will. I'll be...there for you, Shizuru...I promise...I'll be there."

Natsuki then felt a small hand take her own, and she looked down in surprise to see Shizuru's hand clasping hers tightly, and when she looked back up she saw a beautiful smile on Shizuru's face.

Natsuki felt her heart thumb weirdly and painfully for a second or two, before she mentally shook herself, and returned Shizuru's tight squeeze, tentatively giving the honey-haired girl a small smile.

"We'll call ourselves the three musketeers then!" Viola cried out as she sat up excitedly, and held out her hand so that she could rest it on top of Shizuru's and Natsuki's clasped palms.

"All for one!" Viola cried out, as she pumped her small fist into the air.

Shizuru and Natsuki felt wide grins spreading across their faces, as they also cried out.

"And one for all!"

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed! Thanks for reading, and please leave a review to let me know what you all thought =)


	5. Chapter 5

AN - Quick note, I have not even had the chance to read the story 'Monster' by the author named Shay P yet. I plan to, but have not gotten to it yet. And I have gotten more than one review saying that Hiroshi seems like a character found in 'Monster'. If he does, more than one author can write about 'creepy' characters. Hiroshi was born of my imagination, and even if he seems familiar there are many elements in stories that are familiar, as many people have the same ideas.

Just wanted to make a note on this. Now I hope that you will all enjoy this chapter, as I had fun writing it for you all =)

* * *

"Hey Shizuru, let me go get something from my room real quick, and I'll be right back," Natsuki said as she gently squeezed the sick girl's hand, before running quickly out of the twin's room and headed towards her own home.

Natsuki noticed that her mother and Nao weren't home, and she didn't see Hiroshi around either, so she quickly darted into her room, grabbed the object that she came for, and quickly left her room to head back over to Shizuru's house.

Unfortunately, as she was running down the hallway headed towards the front door, an arm reached out from the living room and quickly tugged her in, her small body slamming against a hard form.

Natsuki looked up with frightened green eyes into the smiling face of her stepfather. Hiroshi looked down at Natsuki and softly ran his fingers through her silky dark-blue hair, as he spoke. "Where's the rush, my little Natsuki? Your mother took Nao shopping...despite Nao not wanting to go...so you and I can spend some 'quality' time together. Now doesn't that sound nice, my Natsuki?" Hiroshi asked as his hand moved down, and began gently rubbing Natsuki's back.

Natsuki wrenched herself out of Hiroshi's grasp, and without looking back dashed as fast as her little legs could take her out of her house. She eventually burst back into Shizuru and Viola's bedroom, huffing and panting as she slammed the bedroom door behind her.

Viola looked over at Natsuki with surprised burgundy-red eyes, while Shizuru looked worriedly at the cobalt-blue haired girl.

"Natsuki...is everything alright?" Shizuru asked worriedly in her soft voice.

"I'm ah...yeah..yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about bursting in like that," Natsuki said with a nervous chuckle, as she made her way over to Shizuru's bed.

Both twins looked at each other, their disbelief at Natsuki's answer seen plainly in each others eyes, but they silently decided between them to let it go...for now. Whatever it was that had obviously rattled the younger girl, they would get it out of Natsuki later.

"Anyways huh, here Shizuru. It's just a small gift...it's my stuffed puppy friend...his name is Duran...I figured that he could keep you company until you get better," Natsuki said halting as she held out a small blue, stuffed pup covered in soft 'fur'.

Shizuru's garnet-red eyes lit up with joy as she reached out from beneath her covers, and gently wrapped her small arms around Duran, huggling him close against her chest.

Viola gave Natsuki a dazzling smile at the generosity being shown to her sister, and Natsuki blushed bright red at the smile, and the softly cooing sounds Shizuru was making at Duran.

"Natsuki, could you please sit on the edge of my bed," Shizuru said softly, as she continued to hold Duran tightly against her.

Natsuki gave a slightly nervous nod, before she inched onto the edge of Shizuru's bed, and then was nearly tackled back off of it by the force of Shizuru's hug.

And because Viola was never one to ever be left out of any kind of fun, she also jumped onto the small pile that Shizuru and Natsuki were making, and so it was a giggling, happily smiling pile of arms and legs that Kumiko and Hiro walked in on a couple of minutes later.

The two parents smiled softly at each other, as they watched the girls all bonding, and then quietly made their way back out of their daughter's room, deciding to come check Shizuru's temperature later, as right now she seemed to be doing quite well.

* * *

"Okay! This is your first swimming lesson. Lucky for you two, I'm now an 'advanced swimmer', so I'm allowed to help your swim instructor in training you two," Natsuki said with a wide, proud smile as she stood in her dark blue one-piece swimsuit. She was looking over at Shizuru and Viola, who were both in identical bright red swimsuits, as they all stood by the side of an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

The twins were there for their first private swimming lesson, as Shizuru had refused to even approach the pool if there were going to be other people present. So, it was just the twins and Natsuki, with all of their parents sitting on the bleachers by the side of the pool, and a female swim instructor floating patiently in the pool beside the children.

Nao was spending the day at the house of an energetic 7 year old girl named Mikoto, whom she had met at the icecream shop, when she and Saeko had gone to the mall recently. The two had just clicked, and had become fast friends over the next couple of weeks, and were now at the birthday party for Mikoto's brother Reito, who was turning 10 years old today.

Shizuru had gotten over her sickness even quicker than her parents had anticipated, and Viola teased her sister saying that it was the 'magic' of the gift that Natsuki had given her that had done it. Shizuru had just blushed at this, and told her sister that she was just being plain silly as usual. Viola had just smirked at her sister, as she had reached out to take Duran off of Shizuru's bed, and had almost lost her hand at how fast Shizuru swiped the blue pup from her grasp. Viola had then chortled loudly at her sister, until Shizuru had lightly bonked her on the head with Duran. They had then spent the next 10 minutes playfully scuffling and laughing with each other on Shizuru's bed.

Natsuki had walked in on their play-fighting, and because their 3 musketeers motto was 'all for one, and one for all', Natsuki immediately found herself tackled, as they all rolled around on the ground laughing hysterically with each other.

Now they all found themselves here for the twin's first swimming lesson, and Natsuki was feeling quite 'grown up', as she was essentially the twin's 'senior' today.

"Okay, the very first thing that ya gotta know how to do, is to be able to breath under water. Don't worry about learning how to actually swim and all that stuff yet. That part of it comes later. When you're 'almost' as good as me," Natsuki said with a smug smile.

Shizuru and Viola looked at each other, and then rolled their eyes in amusement at Natsuki's swelling ego.

"Yes, swim instructor ma'am sir!" Viola exclaimed as she gave Natsuki a mock salute, which Natsuki narrowed her eyes at until they were small, green slits.

Shizuru covered her mouth, and tried desperately to hold in her giggles.

"Hmph, that'll be 20 laps around the pool for you, you brat," Natsuki said with a sniff, as she turned her nose up into the air.

"What? No way! There is _no way_ you're going to get me to run laps around this pool. We're _supposed_ to be here to learn how to swim, not run. Mom! Tell Natsuki that we're here to learn how to swim and not run," Viola shouted up into the bleachers to where her parents were sitting.

"Girls, you're all keeping the swim instructor waiting, so hop to it!" Saeko replied back instead of Kumiko, as she pointed with an amused smile towards the patiently waiting swim instructor, still floating along quietly in the water.

Viola gave a loud huff as she crossed her arms across her chest, and let a small pout form on her lips. Natsuki let a wide smile cross her face, as she waved the twins over to the edge of the pool so that they could begin their swim lesson.

* * *

"Wow! Just learning how to hold our breaths underwater, and doing kicking lessons while holding onto the edge of the pool was tough today," Viola exclaimed as she fell back against a big, fluffy pillow in the twin's living room.

"And how did you do today, Shizuru? I know that you were having some problems with going back into deep water after...that incident," Aoi said softly, as she rested her head against Chie's pajama-clad leg.

All the girls were over at the twin's house for a slumber party. Chie, Aoi, Natsuki, Shizuru, Viola, and even Nao and Mikoto were all present, all of them dressed in PJ's or night shirts. There were bowls of popcorn around, as well as boxes of pizza, and they had a wide selection of movies to choose from to watch on Hiro's wide-screen TV.

"Oh, I was alright since we never actually went near the deep end of the pool. Our instructor...and Natsuki...taught us in the shallow part of the pool," Shizuru replied as she turned mischievously-sparkling red eyes up towards Natsuki's face, as she had decided to follow Aoi's lead and rest her head on Natsuki's leg.

Natsuki was looking everywhere but at Shizuru's cheekily-smiling face, as her own face flamed bright-red. Natsuki then felt something bounce off of her nose, and she looked over to see Viola grinning evilly at her, as her hand reached back into a bowl of popcorn to get some more ammunition.

"No. Just no! You throw any more at me, and I'm using your sister as a shield," Natsuki cried out, as she reached down and grasped Shizuru's shoulders, eliciting a light 'squawk' out of the chestnut-haired girl.

Viola narrowed her eyes at Natsuki, and then said in a low threatening voice, "you wouldn't _dare_."

Natsuki then held Shizuru tightly against her chest, causing the captive twin to blush fiercely, while Aoi and Chie chortled loudly at their friend's antics.

"Just _try_ me," Natsuki replied back, as she also narrowed her eyes and stared back hard at Viola, daring the free twin to do something...anything...and her captive sister would get it!

"Ugh! Darn you! I _will_ get you next time. You and your dastardly ways will go down! Neeexxxt tiimmmee," Viola cried, as she imitated ever thwarted villain in every cartoon she had ever seen.

"Ha! I win, you lose," Natsuki gloated until she realized that she was still holding Shizuru close against her chest, and so she let go immediately as if she was holding a hot potato. She then blushed so red that Chie and Aoi began to wonder in amazement if Natsuki's head wasn't going to simply pop off, and fly into the solar system.

"You are all such immature brats. I can't _believe_ that you're all supposed to be older than me," Nao sneered, as she dangled another Twizzler over Mikoto's wide open mouth.

"Hmm, Twizzlers are so nummy!" the dark-haired, golden-eyed girl cried out, as she laid on the ground by Nao's feet, her mouth wide open to receive more of the yummy treat Nao was feeding her.

"Ha! You should talk! Look at you and Mikoto. Now if that isn't childish, then I don't know what is," Natsuki retorted, as she pointed over at the two 7 year olds.

Nao just sniffed, and turned her attention away from her annoying stepsister, and went back to feeding Mikoto.

Natsuki 'humphed' and would have continued to scowl in annoyance at Nao, if she didn't feel a sudden light touch against her mouth, and when she looked over she saw Shizuru gently poking her mouth with a kernel of buttery popcorn.

"Say 'ahhh' Natsuki," Shizuru said with a small, teasing smile on her lips.

Natsuki just wished for the earth to open up and swallow her whole, especially when Viola, Chie, and Aoi all burst out laughing at her in amused glee.

* * *

AN - Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you all SO much for your reviews! They keep me happily chugging away at this fic for you all =3

Please review, and let me know what you all thought of this chapter =)


	6. Chapter 6

The sleepover at the twin's home had gone so well, that another one was planned just two days later, but this time it would be held at Natsuki's home, and would only be attended by the '3 Musketeers'.

"Okay then, it's decided! We're gonna watch _Transformers_! I wanna see all the evil bots go boom!" Natsuki cried out with a huge grin, as she spread her arms out wide to demonstrate the level of exploding destruction she wanted to see.

"No, no, no! We're gonna watch _X-Men_! I wanna see Rogue and Wolverine, and all the other mutants kicking butt!" Viola exclaimed, as she wiggled her arms around in what she thought was a good imitation of Storm calling forth the winds to do her bidding.

"Um...I'd actually really like to watch _Mulan_. Ever since I saw you playing with her character in that game you love Natsuki...you know that Kingdom Hearts one...I've really wanted to see the actual movie she starred in," Shizuru said as she gave Natsuki a soft, sweet smile.

Natsuki stared dumbly at Shizuru for a few seconds with her mouth hanging slightly open, as she was struck by Shizuru's heart-warming smile.

Viola looked from Natsuki to Shizuru and back again to Natsuki, before she allowed a mischievous grin to cross her face. She then took advantage of Natsuki's complete distraction, and ran quickly over to the DVD player, grabbed the X-Men movie dvd, and quickly popped it into the player.

"Ha, Natsuki! I rule, you drool...literally," Viola crowed loudly in victory, as she pointed her finger at Natsuki and chortled.

"Hey! No fair! I was uhh...distracted!" Natsuki cried out, as she crossed her arms over her chest, and sent Viola one of what would one day famously...or infamously...become the 'Kuga Death Glare.'

Viola just placed her finger under her eye, pulled the skin under it down, and then stuck her tongue out at Natsuki.

"Oh, I'm gonna get you now!" Natsuki cried out, as she grabbed a pillow and went to clobber her arch-nemesis into submission.

"Eeep!" Viola cried out before she ran laughing away from Natsuki, who was flailing her pillow wildly at Viola's head.

Shizuru placed her hand to her mouth, and giggled at her two best friend's antics.

* * *

Later on that night when all was once again quiet, and the three young girls were laying peacefully beside each other, Natsuki suddenly popped up wide awake. She sat rubbing her eyes for a few seconds then let out a loud yawn, as she decided that she was thirsty and wanted some water. Making sure not to awaken either twin as she had been snugly sandwiched between the two of them, Natsuki quietly made her way out of the living room, and down the hallway towards the kitchen.

Natsuki made her way into the kitchen, and walked over to the fridge where she reached in and took out a bottle of water that she usually kept there to drink at times like this. Once she had quenched her thirst, Natsuki put back the half-empty water bottle, closed back the fridge door, and turned around to make her way back to the living room and her sleeping friends.

Because she knew the route to and from the kitchen and living room by heart, she never had to turn on any lights on her journey, so her heart nearly stopped when she was suddenly grabbed in the darkness by a pair of strong arms. She was then hoisted her high into the air, and onto what her frightened mind realized was the kitchen counter.

Natsuki had been so surprised by the 'attack' that she hadn't had a chance to take in any air to scream. That problem was now remedied as she quickly drew air into her lungs, and opened her mouth wide to release a loud scream.

However she never got the chance to do so, as she felt a heavy and sweaty palm clamp quickly over her mouth, and stifle the scream that was about to burst forth from her lips.

"Shh shh now, my little Natsuki. It's just me, your dear 'Father'. No need to get upset. I just wanted some quiet time with my special girl. It's been a few days now and I have been unable to get any...quality...time with you lately, as you're always around those two pesky twins. What about me? Your dear sweet 'Papa'. I need some love shown to me as well. Isn't that right, my lovely little Natsuki," Hiroshi breathed into Natsuki's small ear as he pressed his rough, unshaven face against Natsuki's smooth cheek.

Natsuki whimpered, as she tried desperately to move her face away from Hiroshi's, with no success. Her eyes then widened in fright, as she felt Hiroshi breathe hot air against her cheek. She screamed again into the sweaty hand pressing against her lips, as tears of fright and frustration began streaming from her eyes, and dripping down the large hand that covered half of her face.

"I'm going to kiss you now, my dear sweet Natsuki. Now don't worry. It won't be bad. In fact, I'm sure that you'll like it quite a bit," Hiroshi said with a slightly-crazed hitch to his voice, as he nuzzled his hairy face against Natsuki's neck.

Natsuki began shaking her head vigorously, as she struggled in Hiroshi's grasp trying desperately to escape.

"Shh shh now, Natsuki. Don't worry, I said. You'll like it...I swear." And then Hiroshi began leaning forward, ready to place his lips on Natsuki's, and claim the terrified young girl's first kiss.

Natsuki closed her eyes, tears continuing to fall heavily from them, as she braced herself to be violated by the man who was supposed to protect her from harm...not _cause_ it.

Then suddenly the kitchen lights came on, and a series of loud gasps echoed loudly throughout the kitchen.

Hiroshi jerked his head away from Natsuki with a loud snarl, and Natsuki sagged with utter relief as she re-opened her eyes, and looked into the completely shocked faces of Shizuru, Viola, her mother, and Nao.

"Hiroshi...please..._please_ tell me that what I'm seeing is **not** what it looks like. In fact, no. Just no! I don't even want to hear what you have to say. Put my daughter down _now_, or so help me I will skin you from head to toe!" Saeko cried out, as she stared at her soon to be ex-husband with burning anger...and pain...in her eyes. Saeko decided right then and there that she was _never_ going to get married again. She always seemed to end up getting her heart broken, and now this _bastard_ had turned out to be an ugly snake about to assault her daughter!

"What...what are you all doing here awake anyways!" Hiroshi roared as he grasped Natsuki tighter against his chest, while his eyes began darting around wildly as if looking for an escape route.

"Nao came to my room looking for you. She'd had a bad dream, and wanted to sleep by her father for the rest of the night. But when we discovered you missing from the room, we came downstairs to look for you. I then decided to do a quick check on the girls in the living room, and I saw that Natsuki was also missing. Of course I became _extremely_ worried at this point, wondering if something horrible had happened to you two while I slept. So I woke up Shizuru and Viola to keep them close to me, while we all went in search of you and Natsuki. We heard sounds coming from the kitchen, so we came here to check for the two of you...I just never thought the something horrible that I was worrying about, would turn out to be _you_! Now for the last time, Hiroshi. Release my daughter. NOW!" Saeko cried out, as she pulled out the baseball bat from behind her back that she was going to use to clobber the person whom she thought had abducted her husband and daughter, and had been hiding out in her kitchen.

Hiroshi let out another nasty snarl, as he yanked Natsuki's body off of the kitchen counter, and wrapped his left arm tightly around the girl's waist to keep her secured against him. He then reached down with his right hand, opened a kitchen drawer, and removed a large butcher knife, which he then held to Natsuki's throat.

Shizuru and Viola let out loud terrified gasps, and Nao clutched at Saeko's leg as the image of her father as a loving, caring man crumbled before her tear-filled green eyes.

Hiroshi turned wild eyes on his wife, as he placed the sharp edge of the blade closer against Natsuki's neck, and then spoke in a low raspy, slightly-crazed voice.

"Make me, bitch!"

* * *

AN - And things begin to heat up! =D

Hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter! Thanks as always to all those who read, and especially to those who took the time to review =)

Please let me know what you all thought of this chapter ^_^


	7. Chapter 7

AN - *Humbly bows her head to each and every person who has read and is reading this story, and MOST ESPECIALLY to all you extra wonderful people who took the time to review my last chaper*

I was literally blown away by the response, and am very humbled and grateful for it =3

I hope that you all enjoy this chapter! =D

* * *

"Now Hiroshi, don't do anything that you'll later regret. Now _please_ just put the knife and Natsuki down," Saeko pleaded desperately, as she watched the man she had sworn to love threaten her daughter.

"Shut up, bitch! You don't understand anything! Natsuki is mine. Mine! And I'm going to leave here with her, and you better _not_ try to stop me. You hear me!" Hiroshi screamed, as the last remaining bits of his sanity fractured and broke.

Natsuki whimpered and as she looked pleadingly into her mother's terrified green eyes, and then she looked down towards the twins who looked back at her with equally terrified expressions.

Natsuki realized with a heavy heart full of terror and dread that no one knew how to save her. That her insane stepfather might really end up _truly_ hurting her.

Natsuki's stubborn nature decided to kick in, and she began to wiggle around and twist in Hiroshi's painful grasp in an effort to break free. She then felt a stinging pain on her throat, and heard her mother and the twin's gasp out loud, and Natsuki realized with horror that she had gotten nicked by the knife.

"You little idiot! Stop squirming around so much! Now you've gone and made me cut your pretty little neck. I don't want to mar your beautiful skin so early. They'll be enough time for that later," Hiroshi said as he leaned down, and licked away the small amount of blood leaking from the small nick on Natsuki's neck.

Natsuki shuddered with revulsion, and made herself go absolutely still so that she wouldn't accidentally cut herself again.

"Okay, Hiroshi. I'm going to ask you one more time. Please, _please_ let Natsuki go. I _beg_ of you, Hiroshi. Let my baby girl go," Saeko said, as tears streamed freely from her eyes.

Shizuru and Viola clung tightly to each other as they continued to watch the events unfolding before them, as their best friend's life hung in the balance. Nao had turned her face against Saeko's leg, and had pressed it tightly against the fabric of her pajama pants, as she could no longer bear to look at the beast that her father had become.

"Okay, I'm going to leave now. _With_ Natsuki. _None_ of you are allowed to follow us. Saeko, I'm taking the car. If I hear even the slightest sound of police sirens, I _will_ make sure to end Natsuki's life. Are we clear on this? Saeko...ARE WE CLEAR ON THIS?!" Hiroshi cried out, as he looked at Saeko with wild, maniacal eyes.

"Yes yes! I hear you, Hiroshi. Oh god, just leave Natsuki alone! Please! I'll give you anything you want! Do you want the house? Done. It's yours, you can have it. The car, and my life savings? I'll give it all to you. Just...please Hiroshi..._please_ don't take my baby girl away from me...I couldn't...I couldn't go through that again...please," Saeko cried as she sank slowly to her knees, tears flowing heavily down her face.

Viola wrapped her small arms around Saeko's shoulder, while Shizuru tried to do the same for Nao, but the heartbroken little girl just shrugged off Shizuru's caring embrace, and leaned heavily against the only 'true' parent she had left. Saeko wrapped her arm around Nao and pulled her tightly against her body, while still keeping a tight hold on the baseball bat.

"We're leaving now, Saeko. Remember _don't_ try to follow or stop us. Or Natsuki's life is forfeit," Hiroshi said in a deadly whisper, as he began edging towards the kitchen entrance with his hostage held tightly against his chest.

Natsuki looked with terrified eyes at her mother, as Hiroshi moved them quickly passed the huddling group. Saeko looked back at Natsuki and softly mouthed the words "don't worry, don't worry" to her. Natsuki silently mouthed back "okay" to her mother, even as she felt herself being taken down the dark hallway towards the front door. Natsuki's heart began pounding painfully as it _truly_ began to sink in to her, that she may never get to see her mother or friends ever again.

Natsuki almost began struggling again at this thought, but then quickly thought better of it when she remembered the still slightly stinging pain of the small cut on her neck. Natsuki decided to just wait and bide her time, until she had a better chance to escape.

Hiroshi let out a loud curse as he fumbled around in the dark below the staircase, trying to find the car keys that were always usually laying there. So focused was he on keeping a firm hold on Natsuki while simultaneously trying to find the keys, that he never noticed the quietly creeping steps of a small figure, as it silently made its way down the steps above his head.

That's why when Mikoto suddenly leapt from the steps, over the railing of the staircase and onto Hiroshi's head, he could only let out a loud startled cry as he unconsciously released his hold on both Natsuki and the knife, to get the wildly flailing child off of his face.

Natsuki immediately began scrambling away from Hiroshi when she hit the floor after he had released her, and then she quickly stood up and made her way over to a light switch, and hurriedly flicked the lights on.

What happened in the next few seconds would always remain engraved in Natsuki's mind, as everything before her seemed to begin moving in slow motion.

Natsuki looked up to see Mikoto scratching and clawing at Hiroshi's face, as her little figure clung desperately to the back of his head, while Hiroshi tried to fling the little girl off. He finally decided to just slam his back _hard_ against the wall, and Mikoto let out a soft cry as she slid down to the floor in a daze.

Hiroshi bent at the knees breathing hard and fast, before he quickly began to straighten back up, as he realized that he had lost both his captive and his weapon. However he never got the chance to fully rise up, as Saeko came screaming down the hallway, baseball bat raised high, and murder shining brightly in her fury-filled green eyes.

_**CRACK!**_

The baseball bat made contact with Hiroshi's head, and the force of Saeko's hit knocked Hiroshi completely off his feet, and he flew backwards and slammed hard into the same wall that he had just knocked Mikoto into.

All was still and quiet for the next few seconds as everyone stared at the growing pool of blood spreading under Hiroshi's head.

Saeko stood breathing heavily as she looked down at the man whom she had promised to spend the rest of her life with, and could now only see the insane monster who had tried to take her daughter away from her.

Then with hands beginning to tremble and shake violently, Saeko let go of the baseball bat and watched it fall to the floor before her where it made a loud _thunk_ as it hit, and then rolled up next to Hiroshi's prone form.

Saeko then dropped down to her knees, and held out her arms to her daughter who was still just standing by the light switch, utterly dumbstruck at all that had just happened.

Then her face crumbling and a loud pained cry escaping her small throat, Natsuki quickly ran over to her mother and flung herself with crushing force against Saeko's chest, and just cried and cried.

Saeko lovingly stroked her fingers through Natsuki's midnight-blue locks, as she softly whispered soothing tender words to her daughter over and over, as she tried to calm her shaking figure down.

"Mikoto!" Nao's small frightened voice cried out, as she rushed passed the hugging mother and daughter, and made her way over to her best friend, who was slowly sitting up and groggily holding her head.

Saeko quickly gathered Natsuki up in her arms, and made her way over to her other daughter, and the little girl who had just helped save Natsuki's life. Saeko would forever be grateful that Mikoto had asked to sleepover that night with the other girls.

Now once again going down to her knees, Saeko did her best to gather all three girls into her arms, and just sat there rocking them all, whispering over and over again, "thank you Mikoto, thank you." And then she added, "it's going to be alright, girls. I promise. Everything is going to be alright now."

Then the front door burst open and Shizuru, Viola, and their parents came charging in, and the reassuring sounds of police sirens coming closer could be heard. What Natsuki didn't know, and what she was told by the twins later, was that as Saeko had rushed down the hallway to save her daughter, she had cried out to the twins to go wake up their parents, and have them call the police immediately.

Shizuru and Viola had of course not wanted to leave, but they understood quickly that this task was incredibly important, so they swiftly made their way out the front door, and ran straight to their home to wake their parents and have them call the police.

Now as the police cars pulled up to the front of the Kuga's home, and all the neighbours began pouring out into the street to try to see what had happened, all the parents inside the house held onto all the children, while the police took the report. And when an ambulance arrived just a few minutes later, and they carted Hiroshi's bloody unmoving body away, the parents made sure to keep all the children's heads turned away.

It would be later reported that while Hiroshi had survived being hit so hard in the head by the bat, he had suffered massive brain damage and had slipped into a permanent coma. He was later transferred from the regular hospital to the prison hospital, where they held criminals who could no longer move about on their own, but still needed to be incarcerated.

Hiroshi would spend the rest of his life as a vegetable, until one day his heart finally stopped beating and he died alone, as Nao would never again see her father while he was alive, as she had disowned him forever the night that he had turned on his family.

The police that night decided to take all the statements that they needed at the house, instead of taking everyone down to the police station as they normally would. They could clearly see how traumatized everyone was, especially the children, and decided to let them have the time alone together.

The police also had someone clean away and disinfect the blood that had been left behind when Hiroshi had been moved. And Saeko, Natsuki, and Nao decided to go away for a few weeks on a mini vacation together, as they began the slow healing process to try to get over the horrors that this night had brought about. But before they left for their vacation, everyone hailed Mikoto as a hero, and the dark-haired girl was treated to a hero-sized dinner at the restaurant of the Tokiha's, who had the best ramen restaurant in town.

* * *

Eventually a year and a half passed, and while old wounds were slow to heal, they at least didn't hurt as much anymore.

It was now Natsuki's 10th birthday, and she no longer woke up screaming into the darkness at night, haunted by the memories of the night her life had turned into a 'true' nightmare.

She was now surrounded by all of her family and friends, and she grinned wildly at the massive triple-chocolate cake before her, on the table in her family's living room.

Her mother was there, as well as the twin's parents. Shizuru and Viola were of course also there, Shizuru standing closely beside her, as ever since that horrifying night the two had grown even closer, as Shizuru never wanted Natsuki out of her sight again. Chie and Aoi were of course also present, the two of them standing in a corner, their heads bowed together as they giggled at some scheme they were surely cooking up.

Viola, now 11 years old, stood by the punch bowl set up on a smaller table near the back of the room. As she reached forward to get a cup to pour herself a drink, she felt a light touch on her shoulder and she turned around to see Mikoto's dark-haired brother Reito, giving her a dazzling smile as he held up an already full cup of punch.

Viola gave Reito a polite nod as she took the cup from him, and had to quickly clutch it in her hands as a fast-moving, dark-haired blur flew passed, and she heard Mikoto yell out a slightly-breathless "sorry!" as she ran away from Nao, whom she was playing tag with.

Natsuki yelled out to Nao that at 9 years old she was _way_ too old to be running around the house like a loon. Nao just stuck out her tongue at her big sister, and then gave her a wide grin. Natsuki returned the grin before she turned back to the huge cake, and all ten of the brightly-lit candles before her. Over the past year and a half Natsuki, Nao, and Saeko had steadily grown closer to each other, and could now _truly_ call themselves a 'family'.

Natsuki felt the smile on her lips grow, as she felt Shizuru take her left hand, and Viola come up and take her right, and they all grinned at each other before looking down at the cake, so that they could blow out the candles together.

All the adults in the room turned around to face the cake, and that included Mikoto and Reito's parents, as well as the twin's parents, and the Tokihas. Mikoto became such a regular customer at their restaurant, and their daughter Mai got along well with all the children present. So Mai, who was standing beside her little brother Takumi, was of course invited to Natsuki's birthday party.

"Alright, girls! On the count of 3 blow out the candles," Saeko called out happily, as she held up a video camera to record the entire event.

"Okay, 1-2-3!"

And on three Natsuki, Shizuru, and Viola all bent over to blow out the candles but then the front door burst open, and the wind from the force of the door slamming open flowed in, and blew out the candles before the girls could do it themselves.

Everyone looked in shocked silence at the open front door, and the tall man standing silhouetted by the sun pouring in behind him. He took a few steps into the room, and twin gasps could be heard from both Natsuki and her mother.

"Ryo! Daddy!"

Everyone stared in startled surprise at the man as they understood who he was. This tall, dark-haired, light-blue eyed man was Saeko's ex-husband, and Natsuki's father.

"Hello, dollface and my little pumpkin. It's been a while hasn't it?" the man named Ryo said with a boyish grin, as he looked first at Saeko and then at Natsuki. "You sure have grown up well, Nats. You're mother has done a good job with you."

"Natsuki. My name is _Natsuki_. Not 'Nats'," the emerald-eyed girl said with a faint scowl on her face, as she looked at the man who had abandoned she and her mother all those years ago.

Shizuru and Viola squeezed Natsuki's hands in a show of unified support, and Natsuki squeezed their hands back as she shared a grateful smile with them.

"Haha, you're just like **her**, Natsuki. Got such a stubborn streak in you. Wonder where you get it from, your mother or me?" Ryo said with a pleased laugh, as he moved back towards the front door, and waved his hand in a beckoning fashion as if to tell someone to 'come here'.

"Ryo...?" Saeko trailed off, as her heart began to pound wildly in her chest. "Ryo, what do you mean by 'her'? Could you...could you have found...oh, Ryo..._please_ tell me that you found her!" Saeko cried out as she put the video camera down on the table beside her, and raised her hands to her trembling lips as her jade-green eyes began to fill with tears.

Natsuki looked in confusion at her mother, then at her father, and then back to her mother as she worriedly began wondering what could possibly be affecting her mother so much.

Natsuki soon got her answer and her mouth fell wide open, as she tried to form words that simply would not come. Dimly she heard the sound of a glass hitting the floor and shattering into thousands of tiny pieces, but her attention wasn't focused on that. _All_ of Natsuki's attention was now focused in spellbound astonishment and wonder on her mirror image, who had just walked sullenly into the room.

It was as if Natsuki herself had just entered the room, except for the clothes that the other girl was wearing. She wore a fit-just-to-her-size leather jacket, jeans torn at the knees, a plain white t-shirt, and scuffed sneakers. She also wore a scowl on her face, as she realized that everyone in the room was staring at her in rapt fascination and disbelief.

"What are you all staring at? See a ghost or something?" the low, velvety-smooth voice of the young girl floated out, and Viola felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine at the sound of it.

Ryo let out another laugh as he placed his hand on the girl's shoulder, only to have her immediately shake it off. Ryo chuckled lightly before saying, "as I said before, stubborn. She's just as headstrong and stubborn as you are, Natsuki."

Natsuki swallowed a sudden lump in her throat, as she opened her dry mouth to ask the question that her heart already knew the answer to.

"Daddy...who...who is she?"

"She's your twin, Natsuki," Saeko said in a voice so filled with sorrow and maternal longing, that it hurt Natsuki to hear.

"She's your twin sister."

* * *

AN - Dun dun dun! You know who has finally arrived on the scene! Wonder what's gonna happen next? ;3

Hope that you all enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know what you all thought of it =D


	8. Chapter 8

"She's your twin."

As the words echoed through Natsuki's head, she could only stare dumbfounded at her 'twin' before her.

"How did...how did you find her," Saeko asked in a half-choked voice, as she slowly began walking towards her ex-husband and her once lost child.

Natsuki's look-a-like scowled slightly at the movement and took a step back, which caused Saeko to halt her steps as her heart clenched in pain at the apparent rejection from the young girl.

"Saeko, perhaps you can tell us what's going on here," Kumiko said gently as she came up beside Saeko with Hiro by her side, and lightly wrapped her arm around the distraught woman's shoulders.

"Uh yes, yes alright. I can do that," Saeko replied, as she wiped away a tear that had slipped down her cheek.

"Yes, _mother_. I'd like to hear the story of how you _abandoned_ me as well," Natsuki's twin hissed out.

"Hey! You shut up! Don't talk to my mother like that you...you...copy-cat!" Natsuki cried out as she pointed furiously at the other girl.

The other girl sneered, as she placed her hands together, and lightly began cracking her knuckles.

"How about you come over here and _make_ me shut up, you spoiled brat princess," the girl challenged, as she looked Natsuki straight in the eyes.

"With pleasure!" Natsuki cried out, as she began moving forward to give what she considered a 'fake' her, a piece of her mind.

"NO!" the simultaneous voices of Saeko, Shizuru, and Viola cried out as both twins grabbed onto both of Natsuki's arms, and stopped her from advancing any further.

"Lemme go, lemme go! I'm gonna pound this fake good!" Natsuki cried out, as she struggled to break free from Shizuru and Viola's hold.

"Fake? Fake?! Oh, you really _are_ a spoiled brat! For your information, according to dear old 'dad' here, _I'm_ the older one by 5 whole minutes. Oh, and I _have_ a name. Not one given by my 'loving' parents, as I never even knew who they were until recently. I was placed into foster homes all my life, and when I was old enough to understand that 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' weren't going to magically show up and take me back, I chose my own name and stopped going by the one the nurses at the hospital had given me when I was born. So, for all you concerned I go by the name Kruger now. It's my own business how I came up with that name, but it's a good one and holds special meaning for me. And that's all you need to know," the young girl named Kruger said as she crossed her arms over her chest, and looked away from all the people still staring at her.

Kumiko blinked a couple of times at this bit of information, and then she opened her mouth to speak.

"I think that it's safe to say that this party will be...postponed...so that Saeko and Natsuki can work out everything that has happened."

All the party guests murmured their agreement, and everyone began trailing out of the house, wishing Natsuki a happy birthday as they left, and giving Natsuki's twin curious stares that they tried to hide, as the passed the young girl and her father on their way out the front door.

Nao decided to go over to Mikoto's house, as she really didn't want to deal with new family drama just yet, as she was still dealing with the drama that her own father had caused.

Once everyone had left, Kumiko squeezed Saeko's shoulder in support, and began to tell her daughters that they should also leave.

"No please, Kumiko and Hiro...I would like you two and Shizuru and Viola to stay...please...I need the support," Saeko said as she turned pleading eyes towards her two best friends, as the three adults had grown very close over the last 2 years.

"Not a problem, Saeko. Kumiko, myself, and the girls are here for you," Hiro said as he gave Saeko a warm smile.

Saeko nodded once in grateful relief, before she turned back towards her ex-husband and oldest daughter.

Shizuru placed her small hand into Natsuki's and gave it a gentle squeeze. Natsuki turned to look at Shizuru and returned the squeeze gratefully. Viola was looking Kruger with a thoughtful expression on her face, as she found for some perplexing reason that she couldn't keep her eyes off of the other midnight-blue haired girl.

"Well, let's hear it then. _Please_ give me the reason you abandoned me when I was only just a baby!" Kruger hissed in anger, and hurt that she desperately tried to hide, as she stared into Saeko's identical emerald-green eyes.

Saeko took in a deep breath of air and released it slowly, and then she felt the comforting warmth of both Kumiko and Hiro by her side. Saeko released another slow breath, before she began to speak.

"I thought you were dead," Saeko said quietly, and she noted the look of shocked disbelief on her oldest daughter's face.

"What do you mean you thought I was _dead_? I'm standing right here alive in front of you obviously, so what lame excuse are you trying to feed me!" Kruger exclaimed as she stared angrily at Saeko.

"Now now, Kruger dear. Be nice to your mother. She _is_ trying to explain to you what happened," Ryo said with a light smile, as he put a restraining hand on Kruger's shoulder.

Kruger tried to shake it off again, but found that this time Ryo had a firm hold. Releasing a sigh, Kruger relaxed her stance and grumbled for Saeko to continue with her 'story'.

Natsuki scowled and her free fist clenched tight with anger, as she fought the urge to walk over to Kruger and punch her right in her disrespectful face.

Shizuru once again squeezed Natsuki's hand in hers, and then lightly leaned her body against the azure-haired girl, and Natsuki felt her body immediately relax at the feel of Shizuru's warmth against her.

Viola just continued to watch Kruger carefully, very interested in how the other girl spoke and moved, and trying to understand her fascination with Natsuki's twin.

"Well, to understand what I mean when I say that I thought you were dead, you have to first know and understand that my parents hated Ryo. They said that he was a bad influence on me, and that no daughter of theirs should be associating with him. My father especially truly despised Ryo. And so when I...got pregnant...with both you and Natsuki, my father threatened to have Ryo jailed for 'sexual assault'. I agreed to stay away from Ryo if my father would just leave him alone. My father agreed reluctantly, but then he told me that I had to get an abortion.

He said that the Kuga family name would be tarnished if word got out that I'd had a child out of marriage, and that the father was 'the piece of trash' as he liked to call Ryo. I told him in no uncertain terms that I was _not_ going to abort my babies. My father was _furious_. The next 9 months were some of the most difficult I've ever had to live under their roof. Then it came time for me to give birth. But there was a complication during the birthing process, and when I awoke from being knocked out with sedatives, I was told that...that I had lost my first child...that was you...Kruger," Saeko said with tears in her eyes as she stared at her little girl.

Kruger just stared stone-faced back at Saeko, as she waited for the rest of the story to be told.

Saeko released a deep sigh, before she began speaking once again.

"Well, I was absolutely devastated. I just couldn't believe or process that I had lost my first child. But then...then a nurse came into the room when it was late at night, and I was crying over Natsuki's small sleeping body, and Ryo had me in his arms sharing in the grief of losing our first child so suddenly and unexpectedly. But then this nurse who to this day I never found out her name, or in fact ever saw her again...she said...she said that you _hadn't_ died. That you were alive! But that a man from a _very_ important and affluent family had paid off the hospital staff to 'fake' your death, and to tell me that I had lost you during childbirth.

Then she said that you had been taken away, and that all records of your existence had been destroyed. There was no paper trail for me to follow to find you. You had literally disappeared into the night, and I could find no trace of you anywhere no matter where or how hard I looked. And I knew...I just _knew_ that my father had had a hand in all of this. And when I confronted him about it when I was finally released from the hospital, the asshole didn't even _try_ to deny my accusations. In fact he said that he had been trying to make me believe that I had lost _both_ of my children, but someone on the hospital staff...who I believe was the same nurse who came to Ryo and I that night...hid Natsuki away until I came out of sedation and so my second born was saved, and safe and sound with me.

And my father's reasoning for doing all of this...over the 9 months that I had been pregnant he had managed to keep me out of the public eye, so no one even realized that I was pregnant. He told everyone that I was overseas traveling across Europe. And his plan was to have you and Natsuki taken and given away, and I would just think that I had lost you both during childbirth, and life would go back to being perfect for him and our 'family name' again. I almost killed my father when I found out, and Ryo was the only thing that stopped me from attacking the sick bastard. I left that day and swore _never_ to return. And that's why you have never met your grandparents Natsuki," Saeko said as she paused in her story to look over at her youngest daughter.

Natsuki nodded once numbly as she stood entranced by her mother's story, as she had never in her wildest dreams or nightmares, imagined what had happened in her mother's past.

"Ryo and I struggled for those first two years together, and while I went to college and got my Information Technology degree, and began working on building my own IT company, Ryo was out getting drunk and drowning his sorrows in booze and women. I finally couldn't take the cheating that he unconvincingly denied anymore, and told him to leave. We had married after I left my family and so we got a divorce, and Ryo went his way and I went mine. Then 3 years ago I received a call from him saying that he had found a lead to finding you, Kruger! My baby girl...my first born...after all the dead ends and lost leads we'd had before, _finally_ we had something!

Ryo then disappeared again and I didn't hear from him for another year, before he called again to say that he and a friend of his who worked as a 'specialized' private detective, who did jobs for certain 'high paying' clients, were getting closer and closer to finding you. I didn't want to know or even really particularly cared just who this 'private investigator' was, or what he did to accomplish his jobs. I just wanted my child back. Ryo had apparently done this guy a favour once in the past, and so to return the favour he was using all of his...connections...to track you down for Ryo. I didn't hear from Ryo again after that and this is the first time I've seen him since we divorced. And in he walks with the one person in my life I thought I'd never see again...Kruger...my beautiful beautiful baby girl...please...may I...can I...hug you..." Saeko asked as she once again began moving towards her once-lost daughter.

Kruger looked at Saeko with a slightly lost look on her face, as she tried to process all of the information that Saeko had just given her.

_My...mother...didn't abandon me...she didn't give me away or hate me...she...she loved me..._Kruger thought to herself. Then with her breath hitching lightly from trying to hold back tears, she ran forward towards Saeko and threw her small body into her mother's outstretched arms.

Both mother and daughter sank slowly towards the floor, their bodies shaking heavily with tears as they cried into each others arms, clinging desperately to one another.

Kumiko sniffed slightly and wiped away a tear from her smiling face, as she felt Hiro wrap his arms around her waist and pull her tight against his body. She then felt a whisper-soft kiss press against her temple and she looked up with teary ruby-red eyes at her husband, and Hiro looked down at her and gave her a soft loving smile. Kumiko returned the smile as she pressed her body even closer against his.

Natsuki had by this time sat down in a chair at the table where her long-forgotten birthday cake rested upon. Shizuru was sitting by her side on another chair, tightly holding Natsuki's slightly-chilled hands in her lap, gently rubbing her finger's over the back of the younger girl's palms to try to warm them up.

It was just such an overload for Natsuki. A mental overload. In the space of half and hour, Natsuki had gained an older twin sister, seen her father whom she hadn't been in contact with for years, and found out that her grandfather was a kidnapper.

It was all a bit much for the young Kuga to take, and so she was even more grateful to have Shizuru by her side holding her hand, and giving her steady comfort throughout all of these shocking events.

Viola was still standing a little off to the side, and she watched as Kruger finally stepped a little out of Saeko's embrace. Saeko tenderly and lovingly brushed away the tears from her older daughter's cheeks, and Kruger blushed a bit as she tried to go back into her 'tough girl' stance, as she realized that she had completely lost it in front of everyone.

"See, this is why I didn't want to tell you anything about your past, when I finally tracked you down to that foster home, Kruug. I knew that your mother could tell the story _way_ better than I could, and she deserved to tell it as well," Ryo said with a small grin as he looked at his oldest child, who turned and looked at him with a deep scowl.

"For the _last_ time old man. The name is Kruger. _Kruger_. Not 'Kruug', not 'Krug', not 'Krugy', and I swear it you call me that last one _ever_ again, I will run your motorcycle off the road," Kruger said, as she pinned her father with a steely-eyed glare.

"Motorcycle? Ryo _please_ tell me that you haven't had my baby girl zooming all over the place on the back of a motorcycle. Did you at least make sure that she wore a helmet?" Saeko asked, as she too pinned Ryo with an identical steely-eyed glare.

Ryo felt as if someone had just walked across his grave, and a shiver ran up his spine at the twin looks of death he was receiving.

"Truly like mother like daughter," Ryo muttered quietly to himself with a light shudder.

"What was that?" both Saeko and Kruger said at the same time, before they both looked at each other and began to giggle, unconsciously breaking the last remaining bits of tension that had hung about the room with their shared laughter.

"Umm...hello...did everyone forget about me," Natsuki's small voice spoke up, and everyone turned towards her to see her looking straight at her mother and twin sister.

"Of course not honey, come here," Saeko said as she waved Natsuki over towards her and her sister.

Natsuki swallowed nervously as she slowly rose to her feet, and then felt Shizuru give her hand a final reassuring squeeze before the young chestnut-haired girl let go of her hand.

Shizuru and Viola then walked over to their parents, who both wrapped their arms around their daughters and gave them long tight hugs, as they tried to imagine what it would have been like to have lost either one of their baby girls for so many years, and their hearts broke a little for Saeko and what she must have had to live through. But then their hearts rejoiced for her as she had finally been reunited with her lost daughter, and they couldn't be happier for her and Kruger.

"Seriously though...what's up with that name anyways...'Kruger'...you _do_ realize that your name is going to be 'Kruger Kuga' from now on. Nao is gonna have a _field day_ with this one," Natsuki said with a light grin, as she came up to stand by her mother and sister, and lightly poked Kruger in the chest.

Kruger just raised a dark eyebrow at the finger poking her chest, before she let an answering grin play across her lips. And then before Natsuki even knew how it had happened, she suddenly found herself in a light choke hold and Kruger giving her the noogie of a lifetime.

"You do realize brat that you have _years_ worth of noogies coming to ya, right. I've got a lot to make up for," Kruger stated as she continued to hold Natsuki tightly in her grip, and rub her knuckles furiously against Natsuki's dark-blue locks.

"Mmmoom!" Natsuki cried out piteously as all the adults, and even her so-called best friends burst out laughing at her.

* * *

AN - Thank you all for the continued support of this story! I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, and please let me know what you all thought of it =3


	9. Chapter 9

**AN** – The last few months have been a bit tough, as I've had to move twice so getting the time to write has been difficult. And the last time I published a chapter for this story I received a very nasty review. I shamefully admit I allowed that review to shake my confidence in my writing ability. I know that we as writers should _not_ allow flames to affect us and to try to just shrug them off, look towards all the wonderful readers who _are_ enjoying our stories, and keep on writing for said wonderful readers. But this flamer really threw me off quite a bit. I'm not sure if this person expects pure fluff each and every chapter. They compared my story to a soap opera and not in a kind way, and didn't seem to understand that the drama present in the story helps the characters grow as they learn to lean on and support each other, and develop internally at the obstacles that come their way.

Anywhoos, I've rambled on long enough. I've done my best to shake off the unkind words used, and to regain my confidence in myself and my writing. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter =3

* * *

"Okay girls, I believe that we have a birthday cake that is still in need of cutting," Saeko said with a light sniffle as she wiped away the few stray tears that remained on her face, from her tearful reunion with her lost daughter.

"Cake? Did someone say cake?" Ryo piped up with a wide grin, as his light-blue eyes tracked over to the forgotten birthday cake on the table.

"Yes, cake. But none of its for you. And actually now that Kruger is here we should start the birthday party back up again," Saeko said as she lightly ran her fingers through Kruger's navy-blue hair, which caused a light shy blush to appear on Kruger's face.

"You know you don't have to include me in the celebration," Kruger mumbled quietly, as she turned her face down to look at her sneakers.

"I mean...it's not like I was here for any of the other birthday parties before this...so... I really shouldn't be part of this one," she continued with a slight frown on her face.

Natsuki just rolled her eyes at her twin, then reached out and took her sister's hand, and began to bodily drag her towards the cake on the table.

"Stop being so silly. Birthday cakes are meant for the birthday girls and since you _are _my sister, that means that you're getting some cake even if I have to stuff it into your mouth for you," Natsuki said as she continued to drag her sister towards the birthday cake, before throwing Kruger a small wink over her shoulder.

Kruger felt a light smirk form at the corner of her lips, and once Natsuki had brought her to the table that the cake was on and had released her hand, Kruger raised her hand and lightly rapped Natsuki on the top of her head.

"Don't get so cocky, brat. Or it's gonna be you with cake stuffed into your mouth," Kruger replied with a light grin as she stood before the birthday cake.

She then felt a light tap on her shoulder and she turned her head slightly to the side, to see a chestnut-haired girl with eyes the color of sparkling rubies staring back at her with her quirky grin. And standing slightly behind her was _another_ chestnut-haired girl with the exact same shade of ruby-red eyes. Kruger found herself blinking once, then twice, before she opened her mouth to say, "oh right, I knew I was seeing double more than once earlier. So who are you two? The Doublemint Twins?" Kruger asked with an amused smirk on her face.

The honey-haired girl gave her an answering smirk, before the girl raised her hand and lightly tapped Kruger on the nose with her finger.

"I definitely like you. You've got spunk," the girl said as her smirk widened into a full-blown grin.

Kruger felt her mouth drop open, as she stared dumbfounded at this strange girl before her.

"Oi, just what are you on! And an even better question, just who the heck are you?" Kruger demanded as she raised her hands, placed them on her hips, and gave the girl before her what she thought was her own unique and 'original' Kuga Death Glare.

The girl before her let out an amused giggle, before she reached back and took the hand of her double and lightly pulled her forward to stand next to her.

"My name is Viola, and this is my twin sister Shizuru. We're Natsuki's best friends and... we could be your friends too," Viola said with a light teasing, yet very sincere grin.

Kruger let a slight scowl cross her lips and she crossed her arms over her chest, before she raised her nose up into the air and gave a light sniff.

"As if I want to be friends with two _more_ princesses," Kruger said in a slightly haughty voice, as she continued to point her face upwards and away from the two girls before her.

Saeko, Ryo, Hiro, and Kumiko all found themselves on the other side of the table watching their kid's interactions with each other, and trying to keep small grins off of their faces. Ryo tried to move his hand down so that it would lightly grasp Saeko's, but Saeko wasn't having any of that and made sure to move her hand away when she felt Ryo's fingers brush lightly against her hand. She then turned her face towards her ex-husband and gave him a slight scowl that perfectly matched the one that her eldest daughter was giving the Fujino twins. Ryo let out a slightly nervous chuckle, and quickly stuck his hand into his pants pocket instead.

Viola just let out a light teasing laugh at Kruger's reaction, that try as she might Kruger found reminded her of the sound of wind chimes tinkling softly in a gentle breeze.

Kruger then let out a light 'hmph' as she lowered her face and turned back around to face the birthday cake. She then looked down at the table for something to cut the cake with. Her jade-green eyes finally spied a plastic cutting knife. Then trying to hide her childlike eagerness, and trying to continue 'acting cool' Kruger nonchalantly picked of the plastic knife. She then looked over towards Natsuki, who had stood beside her during the whole exchange between her and Viola, and lightly raised her eyebrow her twin.

"So we gonna cut this cake or what?"

Natsuki felt the corner of her lips twitch upwards into a small smile, as she found herself thinking that even though it had been quite a shock to find out that she had an older twin sister, it was also kind of... nice. She was beginning to get an idea of how Shizuru and Viola felt to have someone there who was your exact double. And even though their meeting had been a bit...shaky...at first, Natsuki couldn't deny that there was a definite..._connection_...between herself and her older sister. A feeling of... rightness... that this was how it was always supposed to be. And a small piece of her heart and soul that she never truly realized had been missing, was now suddenly filled and she wondered if Kruger felt the same way.

Kruger had by now taken the plastic knife and pushed the 'blade' part down into the center of the cake. She then left her small hand resting on the plastic handle, refusing to look over at her sister or the Fujino twins, as a light blush faintly dusted across her cheeks.

Shizuru and Viola looked at each other and let out light giggles, as they realized what Kruger wanted to say but was obviously going to refuse to.

So Shizuru reached out her own small hand, and lightly threaded her fingers through Natsuki's. She then gently pulled the younger girl towards her older sister, and placed their joined hands below Kruger's on the handle of the plastic knife.

Viola then also moved up to stand beside Kruger, but instead of placing her hand below Kruger's own, Viola placed her hand on top of Kruger's, causing the indigo-haired girl to start slightly. Kruger looked over in slight startlement at the mischievously-twinkling, scarlet-red eyes of the other girl. Viola just gave Kruger a small secret smile, as she squeezed the younger girl's hand warmly within her own.

The light blush on Kruger's face warmed up even further, as she did her best to look anywhere but at Viola's face.

_Oi...why do I have a bad feeling that I'm in __**big**__ trouble with this doublemint twin? _Kruger muttered quietly to herself.

"Oh wait wait! Let me get the video camera again. I _have_ to get all of this on camera," Saeko exclaimed as she reached over, and picked up the video camera that she had placed on the table earlier. Then bringing the camera up to her eye she focused in on her two daughters, and almost had to put the camera back down again. Her eyes had immediately began to fill with tears as she took in the image of her twin daughters _finally_ standing side-by-side, and within her easy reach.

Saeko then felt a warm hand rest on her shoulder, and an equally warm arm reach around her waist to give her a light hug. She lowered the camera slightly to give Hiro and Kumiko grateful smiles for their continued love and support.

Ryo stood slightly off to the side looking slightly like a lost puppy, who didn't quite know where he belonged or if he should even be where he was. Saeko released a light sigh as she decided to take pity on him, as he _had_ brought back her lost daughter to her. No matter how much he had hurt her in the past by cheating on her, he had now more than made up for it by finding and bringing back their daughter.

So Saeko slightly tilted and nodded her head towards herself, and like a puppy suddenly given a bone Ryo perked right up, and trotted his way over to the other three adults. He then stood slightly beside Saeko and gave her a small grin, before turning his attention back towards his two daughters and the Fujino girls.

"Okay girls, now on the count of 3 cut the cake!" Saeko cried out, as she once again held the video camera up to her eye.

All four of the girls looked at each other, and as if they could all now feel the new, strange yet unique connection binding them all together, wide grins came to their faces even Kruger's. They all then heard Saeko start counting down from 3 and when she finally hit 1, all of the adults plus Shizuru and Viola cried out "HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATSUKI *AND* KRUGER!" And with an enthusiastic 'pull' down came the knife cutting cleanly and easily through the cake.

As everyone stood around her cheering, clapping, and wishing her and her newly-found sister a happy 10th birthday, Kruger could feel traitorous tears forming in her eyes, and she did her best to make sure that no one else saw them. She had never known this feeling of warmth...of belonging...of...love in her life before, and she wanted to cherish it without anyone knowing how much she was being affected by it.

But then she felt something light and slightly cold touch her nose, and narrowing down her eyes she saw that a bit of cake icing had been placed right on the tip of her nose. Her forest-green eyes then looked quickly back up and into twinkling, crimson-red eyes. Kruger then watched as Viola gave a light happy laugh, before dancing away towards the kitchen to get some paper plates to put the cake slices on.

Kruger reached up and wiped away the bit of icing with her finger, and hoping nobody was watching quickly placed her finger into her and licked away the icing, trying once again to keep a light blush from forming on her cheeks.

_Yup...I am definitely in BIG trouble._

_

* * *

_**AN:** Please let me know what you all thought. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chappy =3


	10. Chapter 10

"Okay I'm back! I decided I didn't wanna stay at Mikoto's place tonight, and would rather be home," a young voice called out, as the front door opened and Nao came walking in. She paused for a couple of seconds to turn back around and hold up her hand to wave, while calling out, "I'll see you later, Mikoto! Thanks for you and your brother walking me back home." Once Nao had said her goodbyes she turned back around, closed the front door behind her, leaned her back against it, and stood facing everyone present in the room.

"So how's the party going?"

Kruger looked over at the young red-headed girl, and asked the first question that came to her mind.

"Okay, now who the heck are _you_?"

"Hmph, I would be asking _you_ that question, but I already know who you are," Nao answered back, as she raised her hand and used it to flip aside the ends of her short red hair. "You're the twin sister of my annoying older sister," Nao answered as she pointed first at Natsuki and then Kruger.

Kruger wasn't quite able to hide her surprise at hearing this bit of information.

"Older sister? Natsuki's your _sister_? So that would make you _my_ sister as well?" Kruger asked in an incredulous voice.

"_Step_-sister," Nao corrected Kruger as she held up her finger, and wagged it and her head side to side in a negative motion.

"Stepsister? So if you're my stepsister then that would make your father my stepfather? So where is he?" Kruger asked as she looked around at the adults, and then at Shizuru and Natsuki.

There was a deathly silence that suddenly descended on the room, and Kruger got the intense feeling that she had just asked something that she really shouldn't have.

"Hey... why did you all go so quiet all of a sudden? What's going on? What...did her father kill someone or something?" Kruger asked with a slightly amused laugh.

Saeko let out a slight gasp and almost dropped the video camera she held in her hand, and Nao turned her face away from Kruger and clenched her tiny hands into tight fists.

Kruger looked around in sudden alarm, and her emerald green eyes widened in shock as she quickly said, "I was...joking...oh god...I was joking!"

Saeko put down her video camera on the table, and moved slowly towards the front door. Then once she had reached it she knelt down in front of the now trembling Nao, and gently and tenderly wrapped her arms around her youngest daughter. Where two years ago Nao would have resisted such affection, now she just allowed her small body to melt against her stepmother's.

"I don't... understand what's going on. Whatever it is...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to cause any trouble," Kruger exclaimed, as her voice cracked a little at the high level of emotion that she could suddenly feel in the room. She then felt a small hand take her own, and she looked over in startled surprise to see Viola holding her hand warmly in hers, and giving her a gentle smile.

"It's okay, it's not your fault. This is just a very... sensitive subject... for all of us," Viola said that she gave Kruger's hand a soft squeeze.

"That's right, honey. You did nothing wrong. As Viola said, it's just a very sensitive subject and I _promise_ to tell you everything about it at a later time. But for now why don't you come over here and properly meet your youngest sister, Nao," Saeko said as she pulled back from Nao slightly, to wave her hand at Kruger for her to come over.

Kruger looked hesitantly at the hand beckoning her over, and then felt a slight touch against her shoulder. She looked over to see her twin giving her a small grin of encouragement, and waving her hand in a slight 'shoo go on' motion. Shizuru also gave her a smile of encouragement, and when Kruger felt Viola squeeze her hand once more she let out a light sigh of resignation. She then hesitantly squeezed Viola's hand back before she let go, and began to walk towards her mother and stepsister.

Ryo looked surprisingly to Kumiko and Hiro, like a worried mother hen as he had his hands twisting around in front of him as he looked on at his ex-wife and first-born daughter.

"You still love her very much, don't you?" a soft voice by his ear startled Hiro, and hid ocean-blue eyes glanced over to see Kumiko smiling understandingly back at him.

Ryo dropped his head slightly and looked down at his hands, which he slowly lowered to his sides before he said, "yes... I really still do. I hurt her horribly... terribly... and not a day goes by that I wish I could go back, and undo all the hurt and pain that I caused her. I can only hope now that she will allow me to once again be in her life and our daughters' lives. I want to be a good dad to them. I was a horrible father towards Natsuki. I was never around, and she's grown up barely knowing her own dad. I want to change that... no... I _will_ change that. I will be the father that my girls need, and I will _always_ be there if they ever need me. And hopefully... and this is a pointless dream, but one that I still have nonetheless... hopefully someday Saeko will look at me the way that she used to... before we lost our first daughter and our world fell apart around us," Ryo said with quiet conviction in his voice, as he looked down at his fists, which had unconsciously clenched at his sides as he had spoken.

He was suddenly startled out of his thoughts when he felt a strong hand clap him lightly on the shoulder. He looked over to see Hiro giving him a wide grin before saying, "and Kumiko and I will help you achieve that. After hearing such a speech from you, how could we not want to help. Saeko doesn't say it, but she is incredibly lonely after what happened with her... last husband," Hiro said as he turned his head to look briefly away.

"Yeah... I heard all about what had happened to her and Natsuki. You have _no_ idea how much I wanted to rush back here _immediately_ and see my two precious girls. But... certain 'situations' kept me away from the area. Things have been resolved since then, but that is another major regret that I hold. Not being able to come to the rescue of my daughter and the mother of my daughter. So I instead focused all of my energy into tracking down and finding Kruger."

"And that's why I say that Kumiko and I will help you in your quest. Saeko deserves happiness again, and by the sounds of it so do you. So we'll do whatever we can to help you achieve your goals. Isn't that right, darling?" Hiro asked as he looked over at his wife, giving her a quick wink. Kumiko let out a light laugh, as she nodded her head 'yes' towards her husband.

Ryo looked first at Hiro and then at Kumiko, and gave them both a grateful smile and a soft whispered "thank you", before he looked forward and focused his attention once again on his ex-wife and daughter.

Kruger had by then already reached her mother, and stood slightly fidgeting before her and the younger girl. She then felt her mother place a warm hand on her back, and she looked up and into startling-green eyes that weren't quite the same shade as her own, but were still just as captivating.

"Kruger, darling. This is your younger sister, Nao. Nao this is your _oldest_ sister, Kruger," Saeko said as she had the two girls face each other.

Kruger was just about to say a shy "hi" when she heard a quickly muffled snicker, as she narrowed her eyes to look suspiciously at Nao.

"Kruger? _Kruger_? That's your name?! So that means that your name is Kruger _Kuga_?" Nao gasped out doubling over slightly at the waist, as she clutched her stomach to try to hold in her giggles.

"I _told_ you that she would have a field day with that one," Natsuki piped up in a highly amused voice from her spot by the table.

Kruger let out a low growl as her fists clenched slightly by her sides, and before Nao even saw it coming she suddenly found herself in a headlock, and the noogie of a lifetime being administrated to her head.

"AARRGH!" Nao cried out while the sounds of Natsuki laughing at the top of her lungs, and calling out for her not to even bother trying to fight it rang in her ears.

* * *

**AN** – A HUGE thank you to all of you who read, and 'especially' to those who took the time to review my last chapter. I was humbled and gratified to see that you guys still really like this story and want me to continue it, and that made me really very happy. Thank you~! =3

Please review so that I know what you guys thought of this chapter =D


	11. Chapter 11

**AN** – Just wanted to make a small note, as one of my last reviews made an unflattering comparison between my character Ryo, and the real life Tiger Woods. Aside from the fact that my character is _make believe_ and Tiger is an actual human being, I also didn't want my readers to believe that I actually condone what Tiger did to his wife. I'm not saying that what Ryo did to Saeko was right, but unlike Tiger who had sex with multiple women over the years just because he could, Ryo was dealing (in the wrong way) with the traumatic loss of his first born child. Not giving Ryo any excuses, just trying to establish that he realized his mistakes and stopped, and is doing his absolute best to make amends to those he hurt. Tiger didn't stop until he got caught, so I don't believe that the two should be compared like that. And again, I didn't want my readers to believe that I in any way condone cheating like that in any form. But everyone deserves a second chance if they are honest and sincere about it. And Ryo is.

Anywhoos, that was just my little note. Hope you all will enjoy this new chappy =3

* * *

"Alright you little munchkins! It's time for bed," Saeko called out, as she finished washing up the last of the plates that had held slices of birthday cake.

"Aww, but Mooom," Natsuki whined from her spot on the living room couch, where she sat beside Shizuru watching _Finding Nemo_ on the big screen tv.

"No 'aww Mom' from you, young lady. It's been a very long though wonderful day, and even if _you're_ not tired when I looked in on you guys earlier I saw that your sister was," Saeko answered back before she took a small moment to herself, to let out a soft sigh of extreme maternal pleasure at being able to mention anything about Natsuki's 'sister'. She didn't think she would ever get over the small thrill of intense joy she felt, whenever she thought about having her two children back together again with her.

Natsuki glanced down at the spot on the floor before her, and had to hide a grin as she saw Kruger with her head resting on Viola's lap. The young chestnut-haired girl was also lightly dozing with her back leaned against the front of the couch.

Natsuki then felt a light tap on her shoulder, and she looked over to see Shizuru trying to hold in her giggles, as she pointed down at her and Natsuki's twin.

Natsuki let a wide grin spread across her face as she raised a finger to her lips, and pointed down towards her sister.

Shizuru's delicate eyebrow went up in curiosity, and Natsuki gave her a semi-evil and mischievous look, before she reached over the edge of the couch and lightly wiggled the tip of her finger in Kruger's exposed ear.

Kruger made a grumbling sound before she raised her hand up in her sleep, and tried to swat away whatever was bothering her ear.

Natsuki pulled back a bit and exchanged a highly amused glance with Shizuru, as they both tried to hold in even more giggles. Natsuki then leaned over once more, and again lightly wiggled the top of her finger in Kruger's ear.

This time Kruger let out a loud growl and grabbed hold of Natsuki's hand, and with a loud startled _squawk_ Natsuki tumbled forward off of the couch, as her sister pulled hard on her hand. Luckily for Natsuki the living room floor was heavily carpeted, plus a couple pillows from the couch had found their way onto the floor. So she had a fairly soft landing when she hit the ground.

Kruger made a loud sleepy sound of displeasure as she slowly opened her eyes, and realized that her face wasn't on the soft carpet as it had originally been, when she had decided to close her eyes for just a few minutes earlier. Instead it now seemed _much_ later than she remembered, and her face was pressed against a warm leg...and there seemed to be a spot of drool present where her mouth was.

Kruger immediately sat straight up and looked into slightly sleepy, yet brightly-twinkling garnet-red eyes, before she heard the soft lilting voice of Viola.

"Hey sleepy-head, did you have a nice nap?"

Kruger turned several shades of red as she one, couldn't believe that she had somehow found her face resting against Viola's leg. And two, that she had somehow managed to actually _drool_ on the other girl at some point. Oh, how she wished that the ground would just open up and swallow her whole just then.

Then to add insult to injury Kruger heard a loud giggle, and her eyes quickly flashed upwards towards the other Fujino twin, who was utterly failing at this point to contain her giggles. Then she heard a low growl, and turned her head just in time to see what her still sleep-fogged mind thought was a small jungle cat leap through the air and pounce on her, wrestling her to the ground.

"Oi! Why'd you yank me offa the couch!" Natsuki exclaimed, as she half-growled into Kruger's face.

"Well it was technically your fault Natsuki for tickling Kruger's ear while she slept," Shizuru volunteered in a chirpy voice from her spot on the couch.

"Shizuru!" Natsuki exclaimed as she looked over at her best friend with a look that clearly expressed 'how-could-you-give-away-the-secret-like-that'.

Shizuru just gave her a brightly innocent grin.

Natsuki let a scowl cross her face before she suddenly found herself being tossed over the side, as Kruger heaved and shoved the unwelcome weight off of her body.

"Get offa me already, you brat. You're lucky I'm too tired to really deal with you right now, otherwise I'd give you a noogie you'd never forget," Kruger scowled, as she looked right into her twin's identical emerald-green eyes.

"Bah! I'd like to see you try!" Natsuki exclaimed back, and looked ready to pounce on her sister and wrestle her back down to the ground again, when the lights in the living room came on full force, as they had been dimmed for them to watch the movie.

The sudden brightness half-blinded all in the room, and then the disgruntled voice of Nao could be heard from the entrance to the living room.

"Don't you _losers_ know what time it is. Julia and I were enjoying a great sleep, but then I could hear you all making so much noise that it woke me up," Nao grumbled in annoyance as she pointed a small stuffed spider at the others in the room, while wearing her red PJs with images of small choo-choo trains driving all over them.

"Nao is absolutely correct girls. It's almost midnight and time for you all to go to bed. Now come on, let's go everyone. Shizuru and Viola, you girls can use the upstairs bathroom to shower and change into your overnight clothes, that your parents brought back for you for this sleepover. Natsuki and Kruger, you two can use the downstairs bathroom. Once you're all done you can all come back to the living room, and I'll have all the comforters and pillows spread out for you girls to sleep on," Saeko said as she came to the entrance of the living room and stood behind Nao. She then began lightly running her fingers gently through the small girl's fiery-red hair.

Nao tried to hide just how much she was enjoying the light, gentle strokes through her hair, and realized that she was failing miserably when she noticed Natsuki trying to hide her sniggers. Nao stuck her tongue out at Natsuki, and quickly turned around to wrap her small arms around Saeko's legs in a light hug, before she quickly ran down the hallway back to her room, hugging her stuffed friend tightly against her chest.

"Okay, Aunty Saeko," Shizuru and Viola chimed together as they slowly rose to their feet, and then made their way out of the living room to head upstairs.

Saeko smiled at the Fujino twins as they made their way passed her, before she slowly made her way into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"Come here please girls," Saeko said softly, as she made a 'come here' motion with her hands to both of her children.

Natsuki immediately rose to her feet and made her way over to her mother. Kruger took a few seconds longer as she hesitated, before she also stood and made her way over to her mother.

Once both of her girls were standing before her, Saeko reached out and wrapped her arms tightly around both of them, pulling them close against her body, and just enjoying the precious opportunity to be able to do so.

Natsuki wrapped her small arms around her mother's neck, and easily returned the warm hug. Kruger had gone stiff when Saeko had first wrapped her slender arms around her but after a few seconds of the tender warmth surrounding her, she finally relaxed and allowed herself to return the hug that her mother was giving.

When they all finally pulled back from the embrace, they all wore smiles on their faces with Kruger doing her best to hide a shy smile.

"Come now, my precious darlings. It's time for your baths," Saeko said as she slowly rose to her feet, and took a hand of each of her children into her own.

"Aww, but Mooom. I dun wanna bathe right now," Natsuki whined again, as her mother began leading her and Kruger out of the living room, and down the hallway towards the downstairs bathroom.

"Wuss," Kruger said with a light smirk.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am _not_!"

"Are _too_!"

Saeko just let out a small sigh as her two children continued to argue back and forth with each other, but she didn't try to stop them...yet.

Instead she let a small tranquil smile cross her lips as she relished the sounds of her two precious daughter's voices, as they echoed lightly through the house.

* * *

**AN** – Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know what you guys thought of it =3


	12. Chapter 12

**AN** – A reviewer asked a question that I'd like to clarify the answer to for everyone ^_^

They wondered about Natsuki's personality in this story, and wanted to know why she wasn't more 'tough', as she appears in canon. The answer to that is that remember in Canon!Mai Hime Natsuki has experienced a really hard and trying life. So her personality would be 'tougher' as she's had to look out for herself, until she of course met her one and only Shizuru, and we all know how things developed after that ;3

This Natsuki is the AU!Natsuki. The Natsuki who _could_ have been if 1) her mother had lived, and 2) if she had been allowed to grow up like a normal child, without all of the heartache and drama that was caused by being a Hime.

And since Kruger is the one who has had a rough life in this story so far, she is the one who exhibits a more 'tough' exterior.

Hope this cleared things up enough for the person who asked about it, and anyone else who might have also wondered about it ^_^

Oh, and in case the question comes up, Nao was legally adopted by Saeko during the two year period following the drama with her father ^^

Please enjoy this chapter!

* * *

One week had passed since Kruger came into everyone's lives, and the Kugas and Fujinos had decided to take a day out together, and take their families out on a small picnic. The place that they had chosen to go was a small park area, that overlooked a high and wide guardrail-protected cliff.

Kumiko and Hiro sat at one of the two picnic tables that were placed at the top of the cliff for people to utilize. They had lunch that consisted of different types of sandwiches, soda, and tea already set out on the table.

At the next table sat Saeko and Ryo, both looking slightly uncomfortable to be placed at the same table. Kumiko and Hiro hid small sneaky grins at their seating arrangements. They had first managed to convince Saeko to invite Ryo to this little outing, by telling the emerald-eyed woman that this would be good 'family time' for all of them. Placed between the two exes was a tray of gooey chocolate-fudge brownies, that would serve as dessert once everyone had had their fill of sandwiches.

******

"Tag, you're it!" Natsuki cried out as she tapped Nao on her shoulder, from their spot not too far away from the adults.

"What! Why do I have to be it!" Nao cried out in reply, as she directed a scowl towards Natsuki.

"Because I say so of course," Natsuki replied with a wide grin, as she stared at her younger sibling with her hands on her hips in a triumphant pose.

"You two have _got_ to be kidding me. Tag? We're going to be playing _tag_? Just how old do you think I am?" Kruger asked as she mimicked Natsuki's hands-on-hips pose, as she stared at her younger sisters.

"Oh stop being a baby, Kruger. Tag is fun. Now stop being a wuss and come play with us," Natsuki answered, as she raised her arm and waved her hand towards Shizuru and Viola.

Kruger let out a loud huff as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I refuse."

"Arg! You can be so annoying! Just play the game with us already," Natsuki growled, as she faced off against her twin. She then felt a gentle touch run down the side of her arm, and small fingers entwine themselves with hers. Natsuki looked over to her right and saw Shizuru giving her a calm, gentle smile that reached all the way up to her scarlet-red eyes.

"Please calm down, Natsuki. It's okay if Kruger doesn't want to play tag with us. I'm sure she has a very good reason for not wanting to. Maybe she would rather do something else. Is that right, Kruger? Is there something else that you'd rather do?" Shizuru asked, as she turned her intense gaze towards the other Kuga twin.

Kruger shifted uncomfortably as that stare landed directly on her, and she opened her mouth to reply when she felt a light poke against the side of her cheek. She rolled her verdant-green eyes over to the side to see a mischievously-grinning Viola looking back at her.

"So why _don't_ you wanna tag?" Viola asked as she poked Kruger's cheek a couple more times, before she slowly removed her finger.

Kruger lightly cleared her throat as she tried to ignore the slight tingling sensation that had passed through her body, at having Viola poking her cheek and standing so near to her.

"I just have a better idea of something to do to pass the time," Kruger replied as she averted her eyes, and tried to hide a blush from Viola's cheekily-grinning face.

"Oh? You _do_ have a better idea? Good. I don't wanna play tag, and I don't want to be _it_," Nao spoke up as she glared hard at Natsuki.

Natsuki threw her hands up into the air and let out an aggrieved sigh, before she pointed a finger first at Nao and then at Kruger.

"You both fail. _Epic_ fail," Natsuki proclaimed as she dropped her hand, and folded her arms across her chest as her lips jutted out in a small pout. It was then Natsuki's turn to find herself on the receiving end of a finger poking her in the face. This time it was Shizuru poking lightly at her pouty bottom lip.

"You know if you keep your lips like that, they'll stay that way forever...though it _is_ a pretty cute look," Shizuru said with a teasing twinkle in her garnet-red eyes.

Natsuki felt her cheeks instantly heat up, and felt the blush grow even brighter as Nao let out a loud snort of laughter at her expense. Natsuki let out a soft growl as she turned her face away, and tried her best to ignore the laughing.

Shizuru and Viola quickly looked at each other and exchanged amused giggles, at how fun and easy they found it to tease both Kuga girls.

"So Kruger, you gonna tell us what you wanna do that's _so_ much more interesting than playing tag?" Natsuki asked, as she glared over at her azure-haired twin.

"Just follow me," Kruger said with a small secret smile as she turned around, and began to head towards a small stand of trees that helped to partially hide the small park from view. Beyond the trees the Fujino's car was parked along with Saeko's, in the small parking lot that was provided for the cliffside park. Ryo had arrived on his bike, a sleek black Ducati with bold midnight-blue trim, and he had decided to push it into the small stand of trees, and park it there instead of the parking lot.

So now the Fujino and Kuga twins plus Nao, all began to head towards the trees which weren't that far away from the picnic tables and their parents.

"Hey, ah...Mom! We're just going to go look at Ryo's bike for a bit. We won't be too far," Kruger called out to her mother, who she had noticed had looked over at her departing children, and had begun to open her mouth to ask where they were going. Kruger still found it a little difficult to call Saeko 'Mom' after not having the opportunity to do so for most of her life, but she was quickly getting used to it. And she did enjoy seeing the quick, warm smile that would grace Saeko's lips every time she called her Mom.

"Hey! Why don't you call me Dad? I'm _Dad_. Your dear 'ol Papa. Come on, Kruugy. Call me Papa just one time," Ryo cried out plaintively towards his eldest daughter.

"Never!" Kruger called back, as she led the rest of the girls towards the trees and Ryo's bike.

"No respect. I get no respect from any of 'em," Ryo grumbled to himself, as he slunk low on the picnic table bench and pouted.

"If you pout like that your face will stay that way," Saeko said with a light twinkle in her jade-green eyes.

Ryo let out a small grumpy sound which only caused Saeko, Kumiko, and Hiro to laugh loudly in amusement.

"No respect at all," Ryo mumbled lightly, as he tried to keep a small smile from twitching up the corner of his lips.

******

"So what's so exciting about looking at your Dad's bike anyway," Nao asked in a completely bored tone as she, the Fujino girls, and her older sisters all stood around Ryo's bike a couple minutes later.

"_Ryo's_ bike. The day that I call him 'Dad' is the day that all the mayo in the world runs out," Kruger replied as she began fishing around in her pants pocket.

"Never!" Natsuki cried out in horror, as the mental image of a world without her favourite condiment filled her mind.

"You like mayo too?" Kruger paused in her pocket searching, as she looked over with a slightly-raised eyebrow at her younger twin.

"Of course! It's one of the main food groups," Natsuki replied with a sharp, affirmative nod of her head.

Kruger let a wide grin spread across her face, as she held her hand up in a high-five gesture. Natsuki immediately returned the grin, and raised her hand to enthusiastically give her big sister some skin.

"You Natsuki, are my kind of twin," Kruger said with slight smirk, as she finally pulled the object that she had been digging for out of her pocket.

Natsuki tried to keep a slight blush off of her cheeks at Kruger's compliment, and of course knew she hadn't succeeded when Shizuru hid a light giggle behind her hand. Natsuki stuck her tongue out at her best friend, which Shizuru immediately returned with a poked out tongue of her own.

"Kids," Viola said with a smile and a small shake of her head, as she watched her twin and their dark-haired best friend.

"Yo, so what's that you just pulled out of your pocket," Nao asked impatiently, too interested in what Kruger had in her hand to join in on the Natsuki-teasing, which was a sport she normally happily engaged in.

"This...this is the key to Ryo's bike," Kruger said, as a sly grin worked its way onto her face.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Just how did you get that, and _what_ are you doing with it?" Natsuki exclaimed, as she leveled a deep scowl at her sister.

"How? Well that's for me to know, and you to _never_ find out," Kruger answered with a smirk, as she twirled the key around on her finger by the metal ring that it was on.

Natsuki let out a low growl, bunched her hands into fists, and took a small step towards her aggravating sister as she replied, "then what the heck do you think you're doing with it! I'm sure Ryo didn't just _hand_ it over to you."

"Well duh, of course he didn't. And what I'm going to do with it? I'm gonna start up his bike, and let you guys see and hear how sweet a ride it is," Kruger answered with a slightly-reckless glint in her eyes.

"Cool! You make a _much_ more interesting and entertaining older sister," Nao exclaimed, as her bright-green eyes lit up with excitement.

"Kruger, I don't think you should do that. When our parents hear you start up the bike, they're just going to get mad at us," Viola said as she gently laid her hand on Kruger's arm.

Kruger looked over at Viola and gave her a cocky grin as she replied, "it's okay. I'm only going to turn it on for a few seconds. Ryo won't mind because he's let me start up his bike lots of times before, during the time that we were heading across country towards you guys. Mom...yeah she _might_ get a little mad. But I'm sure Ryo can talk her outta getting too mad, and besides it will only be for a few seconds. Come on, where's your sense of fun," Kruger asked, as she placed her free hand over the one Viola still had on her arm.

Viola looked down at the hand lightly resting on top of hers, before looking over with a worried expression at her sister. Shizuru returned her worried stare with a helpless shrug.

"Well, _I_ think this idea is stupid, and you're only going to get _all_ of us in trouble," Natsuki exclaimed, as she eyed her sister with a frown on her face.

"Bah, you're no fun brat. You obviously haven't 'lived it up' much in your life. You've been _way_ too sheltered," Kruger replied as she stepped away from Viola's hand, and walked over to Ryo's bike.

Natsuki's frown deepened and she once again balled up her fists, and made to take another step towards Kruger to try to knock some sense into her.

"Hey, why don't you cool down and stop being such a wet blanket," Nao said in passing to Natsuki, as she followed Kruger over to the bike. "This is the first really interesting thing we've done all day, and besides _I_ won't be getting into any trouble, cause _she's_ the one messing with the bike. I'm just wanna see and hear how 'cool' this bike is when started."

"I _won't_ get into any trouble. It will only be for a few seconds, and besides I _can't_ get into any trouble. What do you think they'll do? Punish me? Get real. I've been through a dozen foster homes, and no one has _ever_ been able to punish me. Just because Ryo...and Mom...are my actual parents this time doesn't make any difference," Kruger said in a voice that had harden momentarily when she spoke of the foster homes. Kruger then climbed onto the seat of the bike which was way too big for her, as her feet could barely reach the kickstand.

"I don't care what you say! We'll get into big trouble for this and I'm _not_ hanging around with you to get punished," Natsuki scowled as she began to walk away, reaching out to grasp Shizuru's hand as she tugged the chestnut-haired girl along with her.

Shizuru looked over at Viola helplessly for a second, and communicated to her twin through her eyes that she _needed_ to try to talk Kruger out of this.

Nao just leaned up against the side of a tree, and watched what was to her _pure_ entertainment of the highest order.

Viola gave Shizuru a firm nod, and she opened her mouth to tell Kruger that all of this _really_ wasn't a good idea, when the reverberating sound of a bike motor loudly coming to life roared through the air.

Immediately all of the adults at the picnic tables looked up, and Saeko and Ryo rose up off of the their benches with duel expressions of shock and disbelief on their faces. Ryo quickly began digging around in his pants pockets for his bike key, and groaned out loud as he realized that Kruger had somehow managed to swipe it again.

"I'm _really_ going to have to have a looong talk with that young lady about taking my bike key, and starting that motor without my permission," Ryo grumbled to himself as he, Saeko, and the Fujino's began making their way towards their children.

"And I'm going to have to have a looong talk with _you_ about our daughter being so comfortable around those unsafe machines, that she makes it a habit of climbing onto yours and messing around with it," Saeko answered back as she glared at Ryo, as they made it about halfway towards their children.

Ryo let out a nervous laugh, as the sound of Kruger revving the bike's engine grew louder.

Suddenly there was a loud _shriek_, and the Ducati came bursting out from behind the trees with a terrified-looking Kruger hanging onto the handlebars for dear life.

Saeko let out a horrified gasp, that was echoed by the rest of the adults around her, as they all watched in horror as Kruger and the bike sped wildly and uncontrollably towards the guardrail separating them from the edge of the cliff and the razor-sharp, stone-filled waters below.

**

* * *

**

**AN 2** – Oh my, what will happen to Kruger?! :O

Hope you all enjoyed this chappy ;3

Please review and let me know what you all thought =3


	13. Chapter 13

As the bike sped ever closer towards the looming guardrail, with his daughter speeding closer and closer to what would ultimately be her doom, Ryo began to run with a speed that was nearly inhuman.

He angled his body so that he curved around the front of the guardrail, and just as Kruger and his bike would have sped by him, he _leapt_ from the ground with all the muscle and power that his legs could give, and he somehow managed to get his arms wrapped around Kruger's waist, where he then used the momentum of his leap to _yank_ his daughter from the bike's seat, and the two of the tumbled head over heels to the hard ground below.

Ryo's ears were ringing hard from the sudden violent impact he had had with the ground, but he had done his best to shield Kruger from the fall. He now had his daughter curled protectively in the crook of his arms, and he tightened his grip on her, and buried his face into her dark hair, as his heart pounded wildly in terror of how close he had just come to losing his first child...again.

Suddenly the sound of straining metal could be heard, and Ryo looked up in time to see his once precious bike _slam_ hard into the guardrail, rip through the metal a bit with the impact, then he watched with a sort of detachment as his bike flipped over the guardrail, and began plummeting to the rock-strewn waters below.

He heard when the bike made contact with the rocks, and felt the heat as a massive plume of heat rose from the bottom of the cliff, as his bike exploded on the rocks below.

Ryo let out a shuddering breath, and then looked down to see teary terrified verdant-green eyes looking back up at him.

"D...Da...Daddy...I'm...I'm so...so sorry," Kruger stuttered out as she grabbed the front of Ryo's shirt, buried her face against his chest, and began to cry great heaving sobs.

"Shh, there there honey. It's alright. As long as you're alive and safe, it's all okay," Ryo murmured gently against his precious daughter's ear, as he held his crying child tighter against his chest.

He had realized immediately what she had called him, but he had _never_ in his life imagined that that this would be the situation where she would finally open up and call him Daddy.

He would rather have been called just 'Ryo' for the rest of his life, if he could have spared his daughter this horrifying experience.

"RYO! KRUGER!" Ryo could suddenly hear Saeko's terrified voice calling out his and his daughter's name, and then without warning he felt a body fall onto his, and then tears began to fall on his face, as he looked up into the sobbing face of his ex-wife.

Saeko was clinging tightly to her ex-husband and once-missing child, and she felt as if her heart would never stop trying to pound its way out of her chest. She had thought that she was about to lose her precious daughter again, and this time in the most horrifying of ways, right before her very eyes.

And then without warning Ryo had just sped out to intercept Kruger on the bike, and then he and jumped and knocked their daughter off the bike, the two of them rolling and tumbling on the ground, as the bike then hit the guardrail not too long after that, and fell to its demise.

Saeko couldn't care less about that damn death machine. She was secretly glad that it was now gone and out of their lives, but she desperately wished that he poor daughter hadn't been caught up in the bike's demise.

Saeko let out a deep shuddering breath as tears continued to flow from her emerald-coloured eyes, and she pulled back enough so that she could look down at most of her family held in her arms.

She saw Kruger with her face huddled down against Ryo's chest as her little hands clutched her father's shirt for dear life, as small sobs continued to shake her small body.

Saeko looked up into Ryo's slightly-damp blue eyes, and they both shared watery smiles, as Saeko soothingly ran her fingers through her daughter's thick dark locks.

Ryo then gathered Kruger's trembling body up into his arms, and slowly rose to his feet. Once he was standing he saw that everyone had gathered around him and his daughter, with varying degrees of worry on their faces.

Viola and Shizuru were being held tightly by each of their parents, and both girl's had tears streaming from their ruby-red eyes, as they watched their new friend being held tightly in the arms of her father.

Nao and Natsuki were both standing beside the Fujino's, with both of their little hands tightly clasping each others. Saeko who was still kneeling down near the ground, just opened her arms and without a second more Natsuki and Nao both rushed into their mother's arms, and began crying loudly as Saeko held them both close, and whispered comforting words to her daughters.

"I think we should get you both to the hospital, Ryo," Hiro spoke up softly, as he wrapped one arm around his wife pulling her closely against his body, while tenderly brushing his hand down Shizuru's chestnut-locks, as his youngest daughter clutched tightly at the fabric of his pants.

"I agree. That was quite a hard fall you both took, and there might be some hidden injuries. And there _are_ a few scratches on you both that are bleeding, and that should be looked at and cleaned," Kumiko added, as she leaned into her husbands embrace, and kept her arms wrapped lightly about Viola's shoulders, who was standing right before her mother.

"Of course you're both right. That was exactly my plan as well," Ryo replied as he began striding purposefully towards the park's parking lot, and Saeko's car.

"Come on, girls. Let's go," Saeko softly whispered to Natsuki and Nao, and she slowly rose to her feet and began leading her distraught children towards her car.

Once in the lot everyone piled into their respective vehicles, and they all drove over to the nearest hospital where Ryo and Kruger were thoroughly checked over.

Ryo had banged up his shoulder a bit where he had taken the full brunt of the fall that had saved his daughter's life when he pulled her from the bike. The doctor wrapped his shoulder with heavy gauze and gave him a prescription for some pain medication, as now that the shock of the event had worn off, Ryo was now feeling the many aches and pains over his body from his hard tumble.

Kruger had sprained her wrist a little, as somehow during the fall from the bike her hand had knocked hard into the ground, and so she now had to wear a bandage wrapped tightly around her hand and wrist for the next 3 weeks, unto the sprain healed.

All in all they had both gotten off lucky. Kruger more so than Ryo, as Kruger had been saved from death by her father. And while both set of parents understood that their children _should_ be punished for partaking in something that had almost cost one of their lives, they all decided that what had almost happened was punishment enough for them right now. However when things had settled down a bit, all the children _were_ going to get a sturdy talking to for about their reckless actions.

It was now late at night in the Kuga household. Both Kruger and Ryo had been released from the hospital with strict instructions for them both to rest, and take things very easy for the next few days.

Saeko had offered Ryo the guestroom to stay in while he looked into getting new transportation. It was the least she could do Saeko figured to herself, for the man who had saved their firstborn child...twice now.

* * *

Kruger was laying in her bed in the room that her mother had made up for her after she first came to live with the rest of her family. She hadn't wanted to share rooms with Natsuki, like Fujino twins did with each other. But as Kruger lay wide awake in her bed this night, staring up blankly at the ceiling in her darkened room, she found herself wishing that her twin were there in the room with her. She was feeling...vulnerable...a feeling that she had fought against feeling over all the years that she had been on her own. But with all that had happened this day, she wished now that she had someone to just be near here, so she wouldn't feel quite so lonely.

Suddenly Kruger heard a soft _creek_ and she quickly looked over to her slowly widening door, until a small head popped in around the door's frame, followed by a second small head popping in below the first.

"Ahh...would you mind if Nao and I stayed in here with you tonight? It would only just be for tonight! We just...I just...can we please stay?" Natsuki's slightly-trembling voice called in through the darkness.

Kruger doing her best to hide the relief that she felt at her wish of companionship being answered, nodded her head once and then said in a slightly-gruff voice.

"Uhh...yeah sure. Just...don't crowd me too much on the bed."

"Sure!" Natsuki replied with a grin, as she and Nao slowly crept into Kruger's room, Natsuki closing the door softly behind them.

Nao had already found her way onto Kruger's bed by the time Natsuki also made her way over, and she saw that Nao had already quietly inserted herself between Kruger and the wall.

"So, is there a reason why this one is being so quiet?" Kruger asked with a slight tilt of her head towards the youngest girl in the room, her actions barely illuminated by the glow of the small nightlight in the room.

Natsuki didn't respond at once, just climbed onto the bed and lay before her sister, her verdant-green eyes looking back into their twin.

"She's just...she was really scared today...by what happened...we all were...but Nao and I have had a pretty bad experience with her dad, and so she doesn't want to lose anymore people she either once cared about...or care about now," Natsuki answered, as she peeked over at her little sister. Nao had turned her back towards both Kruger and Natsuki, but Natsuki could tell that she was still awake. She didn't think that Nao would mind her telling Kruger what she just had...it was the truth after all. And she had just said out loud what Nao couldn't.

Kruger nodded once in response to her sister's words, and didn't push Nao to add anything. She knew how it could be to feel embarrassed to show how you really care about someone. She was feeling kind of embarrassed herself for having wanted company this night, and then for feeling so relieved and happy when she got it.

Her mental ruminations were suddenly halted however when she felt a small hand take her own, and she looked up to see Natsuki looking right back at her, silent tears falling from her eyes to land on her pillow.

"I'm just...I'm just..._really_ glad that you're okay, Krug. We..._I_ just got you back, after not knowing that I'd lost you so long ago. _Please_ don't ever do something so crazy again, big sis. Please...I don't want to lose you again," Natsuki pleaded as she squeezed lightly on their joined hands, having made sure that she had clasped Kruger's uninjured hand.

Kruger looked down at their joined hands and frowned for a few seconds, before she looked back up and gave her sister a firm nod of her head.

"I promise. I'll try to be more careful."

Natsuki let out a small sigh of relief, and gave her sister's hand once last squeeze before she began to release Kruger's hand. She was then surprised to feel Kruger grasped their joined hands tightly, trapping her hand from pulling free.

Natsuki looked back over at Kruger, and in the dim light of the room saw a faint blush dusting her sister's cheeks, as Kruger looked everywhere but at her younger sister.

Natsuki let a soft smile play across her lips, before she squeezed her sister's hand back. A sudden light snore then startled then both, and they both looked over towards Nao, to see the small redhead laying with her arms and legs spread out, while she drew more soft snores.

Natsuki and Kruger looked back at each other, and both began to giggle. Once they had gotten their chuckles out, they both squeezed each others hands once more, and snuggled down into more comfortable positions on the bed, and closed their eyes to fall away into dreamland.

They never saw their parents peeking at all three of them from the slightly-ajar door, that they had quietly pushed open to check up on their kids, when Saeko had discovered Natsuki and Nao missing from their respective rooms.

And the now deeply-sleeping girls never saw their parents softly click the door back shut, leaving their children to their dreams, and the sweet shared company of each other.


End file.
